Molecular interaction: bridging the structure with function

I am a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University with a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay).  Previously, I served as a Carver Bioscience Postdoctoral Research Associate at Iowa State University (ISU). My research interests include (i) developing methodologies to understand molecular transport and interactions, and (ii) understanding the structural and functional dynamics of biomolecular assemblies. 

During my doctoral studies, I designed spectrally-resolved sensitized emission /FRET imaging to authenticate the biomolecular interaction. The method has been demonstrated to investigate the liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) and its progressive maturation of pathologically relevant α-synuclein (α-Syn) protein. Sensitized emission imaging was also explored to investigate the local surface polarity of α-Syn fibril.

Besides, I pioneered polarization-resolved single-molecule tracking to probe the authentic transient pause during tracer transport. As proof of principle, experiments inside polymer thin-film reveal nanoscale glassy domains in a pool of rubbery polymer networks far above the glass transition. I further introduced helical anisotropy imaging to reveal the structural heterogeneity of amyloid fibrils. 

During my first postdoctoral appointment at ISU, I employed confocal time-resolved fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) to identify nanodomains in ionic liquid (IL), attributed to liquid-liquid phase transitions. Currently, my research focuses on studying the slow-scale dynamics of heterogenous glassy systems using advanced fluorescence microscopy. Through this work, I aim to uncover fundamental principles governing complex amorphous systems, contributing to a deeper understanding of soft matter.