Good day, Manikandan Santhanam, PhD. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

I have completed my PhD in 2019 at CSAS Secretary Karaikudi. Then I got my first research professor position at Korea University. I migrated to Co.

That I worked for six months, then I wrote my proposal on.

Father Fellow post doctoral fellowship.

Which is offered by Israel government. I was selected, I moved to Israel Beshear Ben Gurion University of the Negev.

From 2021 onwards.

I'm working on cancer biology.

The cancer biology is my course specialization.

My work mainly.

Thanks for sharing that!

Yes.

Thank you, Professor Santhanam. Could you confirm that you wish to conclude the interview now?

No, I don't want to. I want to continue.

Understood, Professor Santhanam. Let's continue with the interview. Your resume highlights significant expertise in cancer bioinformatics and related areas. Let's start by discussing your perspective on guiding student research projects within this domain. Could you describe your approach to mentoring students tackling research problems in cancer bioinformatics?

Yes, here is my answer.

1st we have to.

Developer.

Problem.

The problem should be scientifically supported.

For that I have a expertise in network analysis.

Which can be used for protein Protein interactome understanding.

Using network analysis, we can generate a hypothesis.

This hypothesis.

Should be proved in wet lab.

For that I have a expertise in.

In vitro validations, in vivo models as well as I have an expertise in proteomics data set understanding all this background.

Gives me leverage to guide a students.

Through a project to achieve a greater goals and complete the project successfully.

Thank you, Professor Santhanam. Your approach, which integrates computational techniques such as network analysis with experimental validations, demonstrates a structured and multidisciplinary strategy for guiding student research. This leverage indeed positions you well to mentor students effectively toward achieving impactful outcomes in their projects. Now, when mentoring students, how do you ensure that they gain not only technical proficiency but also a broader understanding of the biological implications, particularly in complex areas like cancer bioinformatics?

In terms of teaching, my approach is concept first.

The student must understand the.

Complexities existing in cancer system example the.

Gene expression profiles.

And protein expression profiles which are something gives you genome level understanding to us. But interpreting the results from the techniques such as transcriptomics and proteomics, it's very important. My focus would be on understanding the biological consequences and biological mechanisms rather than.

More focusing on teaching.

Techniques.

It's clear that your concept-first teaching approach emphasizes a deep understanding of cancer systems biology. Focusing on the biological consequences, rather than just the technical procedures, ensures that students develop a meaningful grasp of genomic and proteomic data interpretations and their broader implications. In this context, how do you balance teaching complex subjects like transcriptomics and proteomics while ensuring that the content remains accessible to students with varying levels of expertise?

My research.

Brings datasets which are academically sponsored project which is something I'm very much interested. All my datasets and all my tools which are going to be developed will be in public domain.

These datasets and tools can be used for teaching the students for their.

Academic training.

That's an admirable approach, Professor Santhanam. Making datasets and tools publicly available not only enhances accessibility for your students but also fosters a culture of open science and collaborative learning, which is vital in academia. Moving on, given your extensive background and achievements, could you share how your experience in obtaining prestigious fellowships, such as the PBC Post-Doctoral Fellowship, has influenced your approach to both research and mentoring?

I did my PhD in electrochemical background.

There I have a background in masters in Biotechnology. I combined these two different domains for.

Proposal which is which was very successful. We demonstrated that format dehydrogenase enzyme which could be implemented on electrode surface. This particular fellowship has different domain than what I'm currently pursuing. Right now I'm working on cancer drug discovery specifically focused on developing novel peptides I have published.

Three first author papers and.

Nyan.

Quarter Papers All these papers and research outputs shows that I have a very good understanding on cancer biology.

Cancer biology not only cancer biology, also therapeutic mechanisms, especially cisplatin arresting and novel peptides how they are.

Influencing the cancer growth and how they are inducing the cell death and also I'm.

There we want to understand how this whole mitochondrial network, mitochondrial biology is getting affected in system level, which we are tackling through.

We have a core expertise in mitochondrial biology.

Proteomics approaches where proteomics which can give us.

Organelle level changes in the cells, which are something very.

Uh, Candy and our expertise to understand this biological consequences, this whole background brings me.

UH gives me opportunity and I bring all this experiences to VIT to teach students how to approach.

The system from single protein level to system level.

Understanding.

Thank you, Professor Santhanam. Your ability to integrate knowledge across distinct domains, from electrochemistry to cancer biology and mitochondrial networks, clearly showcases both your versatility and depth. Combining these experiences into a pedagogical framework would undoubtedly provide students with a robust understanding of approaches ranging from molecular to systems-level biology. Given this unique interdisciplinary foundation, how do you plan to foster innovation in the research and education of your students, particularly in preparing them for challenges in cancer bioinformatics and drug discovery?

With focus on cancer informatics, we have a large scale of datasets like TCGA which provides expression profile for different cancers and different cell lines. All this informations are just numbers if we are not able to use it or if you are not able to.

See through. Yeah, clear lenses.

Here the network biology is a computational tools which gives opportunity to understand this TCGA datasets using string analysis and cytoscape. These are all the available tools which can be used to discover the large important.

Biological mechanisms hiding in TCGA database. This will be my focus on teaching the students that I will take up TCGA datasets and utilize available computational tools.

To derive a meaningful results and meaningful summary out of the.

Available data sources.

I will make use of this datasets and the tool to create the new hypothesis.

I'm teach students how to solve this hypothesis problem.

Your approach to leveraging TCGA datasets alongside computational tools like Cytoscape and STRING for hypothesis generation and discovery is both strategic and impactful. Integrating such tools into teaching equips students to derive meaningful insights and navigate the complexities of cancer bioinformatics—a critical skill for advancing research and therapeutic discoveries. Professor Santhanam, let's now discuss your broader academic contributions. Could you elaborate on how your publications and collaborative research efforts have informed your teaching philosophy and approach to academic mentorship?

Recently we have published a paper.

Example.

Where we mapped all the binding sites.

Of VRAC 1 interacting partners.

We have taken up this project with the aim of finding out the peptides which can interact with VDAC 1.

The results were showing that.

The Vedic 1 interacting proteins were mapped successfully. The binding packets in the interacting proteins were able to send through the cell and interact with VDAC one protein and establish large scale impact on the cellular system.

This particular example I am bringing that.

The information which I gained through research experience gives me leverage.

To teach students on how to.

Tackle the problems.

How to?

Understand the cell death, cell proliferation, and how to interpret cancer networks.

This is something.

Advantage and it gives this is my core expertise which I can teach to cancel informatics students.

Use it in very responsible way.

Thank you, Professor Santhanam. Your ability to translate cutting-edge research on VDAC1 interactions into teaching is indeed impressive. Guiding students to understand processes like cell death, proliferation, and cancer networks through your direct research experience ensures that they are exposed to scientifically rigorous and clinically relevant knowledge. Let's delve deeper into your educational strategy. How do you plan to balance your focus on innovative cancer bioinformatics research with the academic responsibilities of teaching theory, laboratory courses, and student evaluations effectively?

Teaching students the basics is very important, both in terms of computational tools as well as.

Biological Prospect.

This can be my.

1st 2 approach first approach to deliver them the concepts what is existing in cancer biology as well as in.

What are all the available computational tools?

Building on this subject, I will be focusing on how to.

Really derive biologically meaningful.

Uh, results from this available data sets in the prospect of cancer, like cancer TCGA data set has a large scale, large scale, large level of uh numbers for all the genes in mRNA level as well as in protein level. And there are available tools I will teach them.

Specifically from my research prospect, this gives me advantage that I will make use of my research as well as the available sources and the basics to cultivate the students to think in an innovative direction instead of just bringing them as some tool users.

Your teaching philosophy displays a strong commitment to cultivating analytical and innovative thinking in students, rather than merely training them to use tools. By combining foundational cancer biology concepts with computational approaches and integrating your own research insights, you offer a comprehensive and impactful educational framework. Professor Santhanam, given your emphasis on leveraging research in education, how do you approach guiding students in their research projects to not only meet academic rigor but also achieve results of practical significance in cancer bioinformatics?

We should be.

Not only focused on available technologies, the Cancer Informatics is an open book system.

That we can bring up novel tools to understand them.

As a computational.

Background to students.

They should be encouraged to novel tools which can interpret.

Datas and bring about meaningful predictions.

My research initiative will be to encourage students to think in.

Unexplored area rather than just, you know, making teaching them to only use what is already existing.

This way I will bring novel ideas inside the students and educating them to how to solve them by collaborating with.

Particular expertise and bringing up lectures from the.

Learned professionals both academia as well as industry.

Your emphasis on encouraging students to develop novel tools and delve into unexplored areas in cancer bioinformatics demonstrates your dedication to fostering creativity and innovation in academic research. Integrating collaborations with seasoned professionals from both academia and industry into this framework further enriches the learning experience, preparing students to excel across diverse career paths. Now, focusing specifically on your role as an educator: how do you evaluate your students' progress, particularly in their ability to synthesize knowledge from cancer biology and computational techniques into actionable research?

This is an, uh, great question at high level.

I don't want to.

Though I.

Inside the.

Take your

Inside the system, there are rules and regulations for evaluation of students.

Though I will follow all the rules and regulations of conventional evaluation system, I want to encourage students to follow open book system where you no need to memorize the tools, where you no need to memorize the technique. All the the students should be evaluated in an open book system where the question should be of analytical and the. Students should be given all the supports they need to.

Solve the problem. It can be uh, overnight, uh, task and also a quick.

What quick quiz type analytical test these kind of analytical performance?

Test can strengthen the students to think quickly and assemble their knowledge which they learned in different subject to solve a problem. For this I will create a question system where the basics will be covered for up to 60 Marks and above that the marks will be given. Each mark will carry the value to the students which will be.

Gained from their learning system.

Your approach to student evaluation, emphasizing analytical thinking and problem-solving skills through open-book systems and diverse tests, is innovative and encourages true intellectual engagement. By assessing foundational concepts alongside higher-order thinking, you provide a balanced and meaningful framework for evaluating progress and fostering impactful learning. Professor Santhanam, let's now examine your ability to adapt and connect research with real-world applications. How do you envision leveraging your experience in cancer drug discovery and peptide development to contribute to institutional research projects or collaborative industry efforts?

Sorry to interrupt, we're down to the last 5 minutes.

Yes, actually my peptide discovery platform has a large potential which has both therapeutical application as well as also gene delivery modules. Here as a part of a VAT, I can give the I can be a part where I give the really novel peptides which can be.

Used to collaborate with industrial partners and develop academic industrial.

Products what though I will be more concerned about open system research. All my products will be.

Translated into meaningful purposes.

Your commitment to open-system research while simultaneously creating meaningful industrial collaborations reflects both a scholarly and practical approach. By leveraging your peptide discovery platform for therapeutic applications and gene delivery modules, you can significantly contribute to not only academic advancements but also impactful innovations at the intersection of academia and industry. Professor Santhanam, to conclude: Are there any final points or unique insights you'd like to share about your vision for advancing the educational and research mission of this institution through your expertise?

BAT values.

Novel innovations and bringing up the next generation students in India.

Also, it asks for the international research which?

The background which I have I learned from the Israel as well as in Korean research atmosphere I can help VIT.

To progress to the next level and contribute very meaningfully for their teaching.

Efforts.

By working to with VIT.

It can be a very good choice for me to develop my career as well as support the goal of VAT institution.

Thank you for sharing your vision, Professor Santhanam. Your diverse international research background, combined with your dedication to fostering innovation and cultivating the next generation, aligns strongly with the academic and global aspirations of institutions like VIT. Before we wrap up, do you have any specific questions or topics you'd like to discuss further?

I want to know what is what kind of support VAT brings to its faculty members in emerging areas like A and other advanced systems compete especially in computational systems.

No thank you. Actually we are running out of time. It's only 15 seconds. If you can give me one advice.

The institution outlines significant support for faculty members involved in advanced systems such as computational methodologies. As part of the Cancer Bioinformatics professor role, there is a strong emphasis on supporting research development, consultancy, and industry-sponsored projects. The position encourages innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and engagement in high-value funded research, providing faculty members with opportunities to access emerging technologies and methodologies. VIT also fosters contributions to academic publications, curriculum development, and mentoring, ensuring robust resources for emerging areas like AI and advanced computational systems. Would you like me to explore or clarify any specific aspect of this support?

Which is something related to you know, which you can bring about about VAT. It would be very nice.

Professor Santhanam, one actionable advice I would offer is: leverage VIT's interdisciplinary opportunities to pioneer collaborative initiatives between computational biology and cancer therapeutics. By merging your expertise with diverse institutional aims, you can establish impactful programs that elevate both academic and industry-focused contributions globally. Thank you for your time today—your insights have been truly thoughtful.

Is the interview is over? Actually I'm seeing that time is off.

Yes, Professor Santhanam, the allotted time for the interview has concluded. Would you like to officially end the session now?

Yes, if it's supposed to be, it can be done.