What is your role and what does your work focus on?  

I am a Senior Research Fellow in Computational and Molecular Pharmacology within the Discipline of Clinical Pharmacology, CMPH. I am a pharmacist by training and a passionate researcher in drug discovery. My research aims to develop novel therapeutics for cancer and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Where did you work before joining CMPH?  

I worked as a Junior Research Fellow at the National Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), India.

What journey brought you to this point in your career?  

I was born and raised in Bombay (now Mumbai), where I did my schooling and undergraduate course in pharmacy (Bombay College of Pharmacy). To pursue my dream in pharmaceutical research, I was motivated to do a postgraduate degree in a world-class research institute, NIPER (QS rank 44). Admission into this course was challenging. After cracking two national-level competitive exams and an interview (and competing against over 12,000 applicants), I got selected for this program. Entry into this program was a turning point in my career which further fuelled my ambition to do high-class research at a top overseas University. I won a fully funded Ph.D. position at the University of Queensland in the laboratory of Professor Alan Mark. As soon as I arrived in Australia, I fell in love with the community, and I realized that people here judge you on your scientific merit and not from where you came. My Ph.D. was very successful, which I completed in nearly three years with productive outcomes. I decided to settle in Australia and continue my research in pharmaceutical sciences.

I won a post-Doctoral position at Flinders University and moved to Adelaide in 2012 to work with Professor John Miners and Professor Ross McKinnon in Clinical Pharmacology, CMPH. At CMPH, I successfully co-led various programs on drug metabolism. I am an emerging leader and currently lead multiple projects in drug discovery. My successful career trajectory is supported by ongoing mentoring by numerous mentors with whom I have worked and collaborated in my career.

My philosophy for success is “work hard, dream big, and follow your gut instincts.” Success and failure are part of life, which one cannot control, but if you have a big vision, people are always around to back you.

What is something you love most about your work?  

I feel privileged to work in health and medical sciences, which gives me an excellent opportunity to positively contribute to and support our community by developing new generation medications. It is a great feeling to see my research has the potential to shape the future of pharmacology and therapeutics and add value to research and the community. What fascinates me most is that my research allows me to directly visualize models of cellular machinery (biomolecular systems) that govern life and how one could restore the altered functioning of these systems in disease states using pharmacological agents.

If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?  

Never settle for anything less than extraordinary.

If you had a super power what would it be?

Sound mind + sound body = healthy community. If I had to choose a superpower, I would go with the power to heal others and resolve the health crisis faced by our society.

How do you like to relax or spend your spare time? 

I enjoy gardening and love spending time outdoors in Nature. Other activities that I love include mindfulness meditation, listening to music, and cooking innovative cuisines (hit and miss). I enjoy shopping (mostly window shopping) at Bunnings and exploring new tools – a good chance you may find me there during weekends.