Founder populations
Research
My research lies at the intersection of genetics and data science. I am interested in human genetic variation: between populations and within populations. How much genetic variation do we see in Indian populations? And how much of this genetic variation has any impact on biology?
I work on both arms of human genomics experimental design–family-based studies looking at rare variation, and large population cohorts that identify common trait-associated variation.
I have worked with the GenomeIndia project, the Million Veterans Program, the Global Lipids Consortium, the Genotype-Tissue Expression project, and various disease-focused consortia to identify trait-associated genes and signals.
I’m also interested in collaborating with biologists to use bioinformatic approaches to understand questions about gene and genome function.
Ongoing projects:
Role of mitochondrial copy number in aging-related phenotypes
Epigenetics of aging in Indian populations
Long-read sequencing for structural variant detection autism-spectrum disorders (in collaboration with Dr Harsh Sheth).
Using Oxford Minion long-read sequencing, we are looking for pathogenic structural variants responsible for severe instances of autism spectrum disorders.
Grants/Funding
- AWS research grant for cloud computing (2021)
- SERB Startup Grant (2021, declined)
- Azim Premji University Startup Grant (2021)
- Gujarat Department of Biotechnology (Co-investigator; Primary Investigator: Dr Harsh Sheth)
- ICMR (Co-investigator; primary investigator: Dr Anshika Srivastava)
- EMSTAR (Co-investigator; primary investigator: Dr Ravi Yadav, NIMHANS)
