We can begin.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia

Yeah, that. Yeah, thank you for having me. Umm I got my PhD from National Chemical laboratory, Pune.

Yeah, that. Yeah, thank you for having me. Umm I got my PhD from National Chemical laboratory, Pune. In a from India.

You got your PhD from National Chemical Laboratory in Pune—nice. What was your area of research focus during your doctoral work?

You mentioned your PhD from National Chemical Laboratory in Pune and your background in India—can you share a bit more about what drew you to your field of research?

Where I worked. With Doctor. So I worked during my PhD. I worked on synthetic organic chemistry. And my work was to synthesize uh. Natural products. Total syndrome of natural products.

Where I worked. With Doctor. So I worked during my PhD. I worked on synthetic organic chemistry. And my work was to synthesize uh. Natural products. Total syndrome of natural products. From PDS starting materials.

Where I worked. With Doctor. So I worked during my PhD. I worked on synthetic organic chemistry. And my work was to synthesize uh. Natural products. Total syndrome of natural products. From PDS starting materials. Such as amino acid and carbohydrates.

You mentioned working on the total synthesis of natural products in your doctoral research. When you teach, do you prefer using real-world examples from your own lab work, or do you find textbook cases more effective with students?

Alright, so you worked on total synthesis of natural products from basic starting materials during your PhD. When you teach undergraduates or master's students about organic synthesis, do you prefer using examples from your own research, or do you find it more effective to stick with classic textbook reactions?

Alright, so you worked on total synthesis of natural products from basic starting materials during your PhD.

So so. I think it will be a mix of things, so I will like to use the real world example because that will be really exciting for everybody because they can easily these students can easily relate to those real. Examples. And it will also be easier to. Explain demo. The test textbook concepts. Because this book has many refined examples actually.

They may be a little bit older or maybe out of date or. May not be that relevant at that point of. But it's still.

Right, blending real-world and textbook examples definitely helps students see the bigger picture. When you design a lab or practical session, how do you make sure students really understand the underlying theory, not just follow instructions?

Yeah, sometimes those textbook examples feel out of date, especially compared to current research. You were saying—they might not be as relevant? Go on.

Yeah, so. For example, if if I have to. Talk to to students about. Bio inspired design or something like that then. Say for example like. Blue if you have to. Have a glue which can stick really hard.

Right, you’ve worked on developing activity-based sensing probes for inflammation and cancer,

So for for that like there's a very good bike. Uh, bias. For example from. Keiko. Keiko Lake. Yeah, that's a really good question actually. So for the students, I will try to. Make them understand that. For first, first, first of all, whatever is going on in the body is a chemical reaction. Like a minute chemical reaction which we cannot practically see by. Naked eye.

So. In in case of diseases like. More, most of the time, the enzymes. Uh, does not.

So you’d start by grounding students in the idea that even invisible processes—like those happening in the body—are driven by chemical reactions. When you explain something abstract like near-infrared probe design, what’s your go-to analogy or hands-on demo for students who might not have strong chemistry backgrounds?

So you were starting to explain how, in diseases, enzymes often don't behave as expected or their activity changes. Can you give me a concrete example of how you'd build that concept into a classroom experiment or demo—something that helps students visualize enzyme activity changes in real disease contexts?

So enzymes are. A catalyst. Actually natural catalyst, so. For example, if. So the the paper publication in Jax you mentioned. Where what I have done is I have tried to show that.

So enzymes are. A catalyst. Actually natural catalyst, so. For example, if. So the the paper publication in Jax you mentioned. Where what I have done is I have tried to show that. And how can you detect hypoxia?

So enzymes are. A catalyst. Actually natural catalyst, so. For example, if. So the the paper publication in Jax you mentioned. Where what I have done is I have tried to show that. And how can you detect hypoxia? Or active reductase activity actually So the. Nitro reductase is the enzyme. Which, uh, which? Which can. Easily reduce So the. Nitro reductase is the enzyme. Which, uh, which? Which can. Easily reduce. It types.

Okay, so you used your JACS publication to demonstrate the catalytic role of enzymes for your students. When you're guiding student research projects—especially in fields like cancer bioinformatics or chemical biology—how do you help them design experiments that balance ambition with what's actually feasible in an academic lab?

Alright, Dr., let's talk about your teaching approach. Suppose you have to teach a large undergraduate class—say, 150 students—on a complex topic like enzyme kinetics, but you're not allowed to use traditional slides or a standard lecture format. How would you structure the session to keep students actively engaged and make sure they're learning the material, not just memorizing it?

So you're using nitroreductase as an example to show students how enzyme activity can indicate disease states, like hypoxia. When you've run sessions like this, how do you actually check if your students understand the concept—not just repeat it back, but really get what's going on at the molecular level?

Yes, so I was. This is what I was I was going going to explain to you. That the Nitro react is reduces the Nitro group, Nitro functional group which. The organic functional group.

Yes, so I was. This is what I was I was going going to explain to you. That the Nitro react is reduces the Nitro group, Nitro functional group which. The organic functional group. Represented by the formula N. O22.

Alright, Dr., let's talk about the institutional side. Accreditation cycles can get pretty demanding—if you joined our department and found that outcome assessment data was inconsistent across courses, how would you approach fixing that?

You’re breaking down the nitro group’s structure for your students, connecting it to the enzymatic reduction by nitroreductase. Now, shifting gears a bit—beyond teaching and research, what role do you see yourself playing when it comes to department-level governance, like serving on curriculum committees or participating in program reviews?

Yeah, I'm open to doing whatever I have asked to do and especially. I would like to engage myself as much as possible. To students and to their benefits.

Suppose this situation comes up: a student formally complains that your grading is biased, but at the same time, your department head is urging you to increase pass rates.

So how do you? The curriculum can be designed how can. The uh. The review process. That can be updated. Yeah, so. So in in in that case I. To have a frank conversation with the institutional. Leadership as as well as try to listen to the students concerns. As well and try to come up. With something which is agreeable to both the parties. So so that both both are happy and we are trying to make a real. Oh, progress, actually.

So. It's it's not just like memorizing and getting a grade right, Like it's just like showing that this. At lunch week.

Alright, Dr., you’ve got experience developing probes and working at the intersection of chemistry and biology. Given your background, do you have any industry connections or collaborations that could translate into internships or hands-on opportunities for students in fields like bioinformatics or biomedical genetics?

So you’re emphasizing that student learning should go beyond memorization and grades, and you want them to really understand and demonstrate concepts. Earlier, I asked about your industry collaborations—can you give a concrete example of any company, lab, or external organization you’ve worked with that could open doors for student internships or research projects?

Yeah, while I was in Canada, I worked for a company as their chief director. Technology Officer. So the company was Art Medical devices. And I was the chief technology officer. And. We were collaborating with three different university groups actually, and each group will have. One of one of their postdoc or graduate student. As well as technique. Efficient, as well as the professor from that group will be involved with our projects.

Yeah, while I was in Canada, I worked for a company as their chief director. Technology Officer. So the company was Art Medical devices. And I was the chief technology officer. And. We were collaborating with three different university groups actually, and each group will have. One of one of their postdoc or graduate student.

You mentioned leading teams that included postdocs and graduate students working with industry partners, so you've clearly had to guide student research. Let's say you're supervising an undergraduate who's struggling to scope their project—maybe they're too ambitious, or too narrow. How do you help them refine their research question and methodology so it's both rigorous and doable within a semester?

So we got these three different type of projects and then Right. Yes.

So you led collaborations as CTO at Art Medical Devices,

Got it, Dr. Now, you’ve taught both theory and lab courses—say you’re running a lab where equipment is limited, but the syllabus requires every student to get hands-on with a specific experiment. How would you make sure each student actually gains the intended skills, even with those constraints?

Yeah, so. Like. Yeah, there's a lot of constraint, you are right for sure, but. We will certainly Devi make the students in a small groups. So that they can each. And how they they can work in a small groups and then? If the number. Like a. So yes.

Yeah, so. Like. Yeah, there's a lot of constraint, you are right for sure, but. We will certainly Devi make the students in a small groups.

Right, so you’d break students into small groups to manage the equipment constraints. How do you make sure that every student in each group is actually engaging with the hands-on work, rather than just observing while someone else does everything?

So if the number of students is high, you were saying—go on.

So I will, I will try to divide the time. So if we have say half an hour, I'll try to divide the half an hour. Yeah. The TTF like 3. Full times for if if, if the group is consists. If the group. Of four students. So I will try to divide this uh 30 minutes into 4. Full times and try to give each student's hands on experience. For that particular duration, so that each can do on their own. And the others, kind of. And this is how it's gonna going to. Were.

Does that make sense?

So you’d split the lab time so every student gets a hands-on turn, even in a group.

Yeah, dividing the 30 minutes among four students so each gets dedicated hands-on time is a clear, structured solution. Can you tell me about a specific time you handled student evaluation or exam duties—maybe designing, administering, or grading an assessment—and what you did to ensure fairness and consistency?

So evaluated students directly like on 2 occasions actually. So. In one occasion there was this poster. Competition ACS posted competition for undergraduation graduates. I was one of the judges. I was supposed to judge. A pretty good number of posters, actually. And in other cases, I was a judge, I was a review. For the abstract of the students so that they can go and. Present the car.

Alright, so you’ve judged student posters and reviewed abstracts for presentations—that gives you a good perspective on evaluation outside standard exams. When it comes to guiding student research or capstone projects, how do you balance letting students make their own mistakes versus stepping in to redirect them when they’re off track?

Research at a conference. In both the cases. I I like. In the first. In in the 1st.

You were saying—in the first case, you judged the posters directly. Could you finish that thought and tell me how you made sure your evaluations were consistent across such a large number of student projects?

Yeah, so. Well, I looked looked into like how the screen is presenting the research. The second thing is like, do they understand the concept?

Yeah, so. Well, I looked looked into like how the screen is presenting the research.

Yeah, so. Well, I looked looked into like how the screen is presenting the research. The second thing is like, do they understand the concept? And the third thing is like how? Is Max.

Okay, so you focused on how the student presented their research when judging the posters. Did you use a rubric or any specific criteria to make sure you were scoring everyone as objectively as possible?

So you focused on how students presented their research and whether they really understood the concept—makes sense. When you’re guiding a student through a research project, how do you help them develop both communication skills and a structured approach to presenting their findings?

So you looked at how students presented, whether they understood the concept, and something about "is max"—can you clarify what you meant by that last part?

So. Not not not Max actually how they? So the last part was. Just just one minute, let let me recollect my thought.

No problem, take your time. While you’re recollecting—when guiding students on research projects, how do you help them organize their findings into a clear, logical structure for presentations or papers?

How How did? How did they present? Do they understand and? Actually, the poster. How to looks like?

Yeah, for that. I'm gonna going to give them a. Particular topic and they will read about it and they will think about it and then we will discuss about it and then it will. Because in a way that we. Yes.

Alright, so you used how the poster looks as one of your criteria—visual clarity and organization do matter. Shifting gears, how do you ensure students are actively participating and communicating during group research projects, rather than letting one or two take over while others stay quiet?

Okay, so you’re giving them a topic to read about and discuss, which gets everyone involved. But what if you notice one or two students are dominating the conversation—how do you handle that in the moment?

Yeah, that's a good question actually. So. In a group. To make sure that everybody's. Thanks for waiting just for asking questions if. Only two, say 4 students are there in a group. Only two are dominating and the other two are silent. Then I'll try. Ask them. Tell me that what is going on with this thing or do you understand this thing? Then try to make them uh. Come up with their own thinking that if. The project if they are participating in the project or not.

Right, so you’re directly prompting the quieter students to share their perspective and making sure everyone’s voice is heard. Switching topics for a moment—can you tell me about one of your research publications in a reputed journal,

So just by asking them or asking them to present later or. Do something else. Yeah, so. What what what I published was in. ACS Central Science in 2022. About a study where we wanted to. Where we wanted to under. Actually. My molecularly understand. That grow. During inflammation, how the cancer gets affected?

Alright, so your publication in ACS Central Science focused on the molecular understanding of how cancer is affected during inflammation.

So during chronic inflammation, apparently cancer gets metathesis. More but then.

Okay, so chronic inflammation led to increased metastasis in your study. Can you walk me through the specific experiments or data analysis methods you used to establish that connection?

So we designed the activity based sensing probe. To detect nitric oxide using biodiversity. Actually, because bio says is one of the most sensitive. Technique which can be used for in vivo imaging and what we our plan was we had this. This was in VIPO studies, that is in. Studying in mice In mice so. Two sets of mice. One sets of mice was fed with high fat diet, another was fed with low fat diet. And we are. And both of them. We are then injected with cancer cells. Under the. Male breasts and let the cancer cells grow for about a month. And then we injected the. Probe Greater R by Delhi. To image. That how much inflammation we are seeing. Because of the activity of nitric oxide, which is. Kind of generated. Inside the tumor and this nitric oxide is responsible for this inflammation.

You used an activity-based sensing probe for nitric oxide and compared inflammation between high-fat and low-fat diet mice after injecting cancer cells. For the imaging results, how did you quantify the differences in inflammation or metastasis between the groups—what statistical analysis or metrics did you rely on?

And this concept has been quite well. Thought that this could be. So we process. Using djpeg. It is by using. Is excel sheet and other methods actually? And we also. Who quantified the images by using the software at IWIS? I wish imaging has a software actually to quantify those images.

Alright, we're wrapping up. Is there anything you'd like to ask about the role or the team?

So the. That that's what the software I use to quantify those images and then get the data and then compare. Difference in inflammation. In the beginning. The role will be to lead the group and come up with this UMM. Come up with the research strategy. What I want you to know is like. How much focus uh. Like. For me. What? What do you expect? To focus how much time on research and how much time on teaching. Hello.

You used IWIS imaging software and Excel for quantifying the inflammation differences, and you’re thinking about how the balance between leading research and teaching would work in this role. For this Assistant Professor (Research) position, the primary focus is on advancing your independent research—building your group, securing grants, and publishing. Teaching duties are typically lighter than in a standard faculty role, but you’d still be expected to contribute to some classroom or laboratory instruction, especially in your area of expertise. The exact balance can vary year to year, but research leadership and mentoring will drive most of your time. Anything else you’d like to know about the team or the expectations?

That's really nice actually, so. How many? Projects do you think use faculty run in? In in in the first year.

Or what kind of grant they they they get to start their new lab?

It’s a reasonable question. In the first year,

You’re asking about what kind of grant support is available for new faculty to start their lab. Typically, there’s some internal seed funding to help get your lab off the ground, but most faculty apply for external grants—such as national science funding agencies—within their first year. Any other questions on the position, Dr.?

That's really. Good to hear. So the final question is the how many? Does new healthy get usually the research students? Uh, yeah.