• Molecular biology
• Genetics & Genomics
• Infectious diseases
• Immunology
• Bioinformatics
• Computational biology
• Human health

Madhura is a molecular and computational biologist who researches various aspects of biology — from fundamental cellular systems to infectious diseases. What fascinates her is to observe the delicately crafted balances at the molecular level and marvel at how so many things are interconnected to produce a fine balance in nature.

For her doctoral work at Cornell University, USA, Madhura was interested in the question of how cellular machinery makes sure that mRNAs are transcribed from genes as quickly as necessary to make proteins in our cells, while at the same time making sure that the accuracy of information is not compromised. She showed that a protein changing between two shapes is one of the factors contributing to this balance between speed and accuracy. Most recently, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California San Francisco. Here, she was interested in the question of why people who get malaria don’t really develop long-lasting immunity and showed that the proteins in the malaria parasite might harbour some elements that distract our immune system into producing ineffective responses. She has also worked on investigating the effectiveness of an antimalarial drug in clinical trials.

Madhura is currently interested in continuing to explore at a molecular level the magnificence of nature as a giant wheel, its interconnections and the constant dynamism of these systems to keep things in balance.