Nivedita Pandey

Areas of Interest & Expertise

  • Molecular and biochemical parasitology
  • Metabolism
  • Host-pathogen biology
  • Infectious diseases
  • Cell biology

Biography

Prior to joining Azim Premji University, Nivedita was associated with Biotech Desk in Sales. She completed her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Parasitology from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Her doctoral research focused on characterising the role of a mitochondrial pyruvate transporter in a single-celled, obligate intracellular rodent malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei. This has provided novel insights into mitochondrial metabolism. The study proposed the presence of an additional route for mitochondrial acetyl-CoA production, that allow parasites to bypass the requirement for the MPC-dependent pyruvate transport. Her finding submitted to bioRxiv (2025), has been cited and further supported by other researchers addressing similar research questions in the human malaria parasite. Prior to her PhD, she also worked briefly as project research fellow.

Nivedita has a master’s degree in biotechnology from University of Mysore, Karnataka and a bachelor (honours) degree in Microbiology from University of Delhi, New Delhi.

In teaching and mentoring undergraduate students, she has found a great sense of purpose. Her all-time favourite quote ​“even a blind squirrel finds a nut”, reflects her belief that progress often emerges from perseverance and optimism, even in times of uncertainties. 

In her free time, she enjoys travelling, gardening, playing volleyball and badminton, and exploring different cuisines.

Publications

  • Pandey, N., Roy, S. C., Bellur, A., & Balaram, H. (2025). Understanding the biochemical significance of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier (MPC) of the rodent malarial parasite, Plasmodium berghei [Preprint]. bioRxiv. 
  • Shivakumaraswamy, S., Pandey, N., Ballut, L., Violot, S., Aghajari, N., & Balaram, H. (2020). Helices on interdomain interface couple catalysis in the ATPPase domain with allostery in Plasmodium falciparum GMP synthetase. ChemBioChem, 21(19), 2805 – 2817. 
  • Suryavanshi, A., Chandrashekarmath, A., Pandey, N., & Balaram, H. (2025). Metabolic flexibility and essentiality of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in Plasmodium. ACS Infectious Diseases, 11(2), 335 – 349.