Dr. Chaitanya Athale Ph.D.
Principal Investigator 
Currently working on modelling microtubule-motor interactions and integrating them with gradients of regulators. Attempting to find rules of SelfOrganization in cellular patterns. Currently most interested in the transport of microtubule (MT) filaments and asters by motors and their interplay with cell shape. Wandering towards a picture of integrating actin with MTs with some (lingering) interest in cellular automata, reaction-diffusion systems and anomalous diffusion.
Dhruv Khatri
MSc Biotech. (2018), Goa University
start: Jan-2019
end: -
Currently: PhD student, IISER Pune (Theoretical and Computational Biology)
Dhruv has joined the IISER Pune PhD programme and will work on image analysis. With a particular interest in Machine-Learning and Deep-Learning (ML-DL), he is currently building on code developed in the lab by Anushree.
Shivani Yadav
MSc Biotech. (2019), Pune University
start: Aug-2019
end: -
Currently: PhD-student, IISER Pune (Molecular Cell Biology)
Shivani has joined the IISER Pune PhD programme and will work on molecular motors, dynein in particular. Her badminton makes her a good member of the team for inter-lab sports.
Jashaswi Basu
M.Sc. Biotech., IIT Roorkee, India
Currently: PhD-student, IISER Pune (Molecular Cell Biology)
Intersted in motor proteins.
Tanvi Kale
MSc Bioinformatics and Biotech., IBAB Bangalore, India
Currently: PhD-student, IISER Pune (Molecular Cell Biology)
Intersted in synthetic biology.
Aman Soni
MSc, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi, India
Currently: PhD-student, IISER Pune (Theoretical and Computational Biology)
Interests: Computer simulations of self-organization.
Prachi N
MSc Biotech., Garhwal University, Srinagar, India
Currently: PhD-student, IISER Pune (Theoretical and Computational Biology)
Interests: Computer simulations of spindle dynamics.
Saba Noor
MSc, Biotech., Aligarh Muslim University, India
Currently: PhD-student, IISER Pune (Theoretical and Computational Biology)
Interests: Computer simulations of motor-microtubule interactions.
Mayur Kadu
MSc, Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Pune, India
Currently: PhD-student, IISER Pune (Molecular and Cell Biology)
Interests: In vitro microtubule-motor reconstitution and mechanics.
Kajal Singh
MSc, Biological Sciences, Central Univ. Hyderabad.
Currently: PhD-student, IISER Pune (Molecular and Cell Biology)
Interests: In vitro reconstitution of organelle positioning by microtubule-dependent motors
Former members
| Period | Name | Current status | Nature of work |
| Aug-2023 to Apr-2024 | Ryth Dasgupta | BSMS student: semester project on modelling bacterial biophysics | Masters Thesis, Montreal, Canada |
| Jan-2024 to Apr-2024 | Prerna Gupta | BSMS student: semester project on modelling flagellar oscillations | Summer trainee, TIFR Mumbai |
| Jan-2022 to May-2023 | Rudvi Pednekar | MSc Thesis and project asst on a COVID sensor project (Indo-Canadian) | PhD student, Germany |
| May-2023 to Dec 2023 | Dwaipayan Giri | Semester project in Abraham lab | Summer trainee and semester project on quantifying microtubule-motor transport. |
| May-2022 to Apr 2023 | Abdul Rishad | - | MS Thesis on mung tubulin purification and microtubule polymerisation dynamics. |
| May-2022 to Apr 2023 | Siddharth Deogam | - | MS Thesis on image-analysis of Phallusia oocytes and machine learning for C. elegans embryo segmentation. |
| May-2021 to Nov 2022 | Aasim Saifee | Business | MS Thesis “Design and calibration of a 3D printed magnetic tweezer combined with cellphone-based microscope for biomolecular force spectroscopy”. NPTEL Teching assistant for 6 months. |
| Jan-2019 to Jan 2021 Postdoc, 2012-2019 PhD student | Dr. Neha Khetan | Postdoctoral Fellow, Gladstone Institute, UCSF | PhD, IISER Pune (1-Sep-2020) on stochastic simulations of microtubule-motor interactions and pattern formation. Worked as a postdoctoral fellow (CEFIPRA on evolutionary cell biology) |
| Jan-2019 to Jan 2021 | Megha Roy | PhD student, Switzerland | Masters Thesis, IISER Pune on modelling spindle assembly. Tubulin purification using TOG affinity domains from plant sources. |
| Jan-2019 to Aug 2021 | Badeer Hassan U. | - | Masters Thesis, IISER Pune on modelling the sorting of microtubules in neuronal axons. |
| Jan-2019 to Sep 2020 | Ankur Biswas | - | Masters Thesis, IISER Pune on E. coli cell free extracts. Project Assistant on COVID detection development. |
| Jan-2019 to Dec 2019 | Vishrut Patel | Transition | Masters Thesis, IISER Pune. Vishrut is working on a mathematical model of colony expansion using the Eden Model framework in python. |
| Jan-2013 to May 2019 PhD student, 2019-21 Postdoc | Dr. Kunalika Jain | Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Geneva, Switzerland. | Dynein in vitro transport, image-analysis, microscopy, microtubule polymerization from goat brains and plant samples. |
| Jan-2020 to Jan-2021 | Kajal Singh | PhD student Chemical Biology, IISER Pune | Rotation student |
| Aug-2012 to Aug-2019 PhD student, 2019-21 Postdoc | Dr. Anushree Chaphalkar | Medical/Scientific writing | Image analysis tool development in MATLAB and simulating bacterial cytoskeletal dynamics. |
| June-2020 to Aug-2020 | Neiky Wang | Undergraduate MIT | MIT India internship program trainee under MISTI. |
| May-2017 to Jan-2020 | Yash Jawale | PhD student, Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands | Molecular motors in simulation and experiment, synthetic biology, gene-expression modeling and microscopy. |
| Apr-2018 to Dec 2018 | Ankur Biswas | IISER Pune | Worked on molecular motor purification. |
| Aug-2018 to Nov 2018 | Appu S. | Project in Chemistry, IISER Pune | Worked on S. cerevisiae microscopy. |
| May-Nov 2017, Jan-Apr 2019 | Zakhiya P.C. | Fifth year project, IISc Bangalore | iGEM2017 bacterial transformations to express chromophores, diffusion measurements in vitro using microrheology |
| May 2017 to Apr 2019 | Yash Joshi | Fifth year project in computational physics, EPFL CH | iGEM2017 modeling on genetic oscillators, continued work until Apr-2019 |
| May 2015 to Apr 2016, May 2017 to Feb 2018 | Snehal Kadam | Employed in a startup lab, Pune | iGEM2015 team leader , iGEM2017 student mentor, Lac-Ara hybrid promoter expression in E. coli |
| May 2017 to Jul 2018 | Abhishek Das | PhD student in Max Planck Institut for System Physiologie, Dortmund, Germany | 5th year BS-MS thesis, IISER Pune (collab. project with Dr. Jerome Solon, CRG Barcelona), “Analysis and Modeling of Epithelial Tissue Organization During Head Involution Stage of Drosophila Embryogenesis”. |
| May 2017 to Jul 2018 | Tanmaya Sethi | - | 5th year BS-MS thesis, IISER Pune (collab. project with Dr. Marie Delattre, ENS Lyon), “Analyzing spindle assembly in nematode embryos”. |
| May 2018 to Jul 2018 | Bhavya | Completing his BS-MS degree | Summer trainee, 3rd year BS-MS IISER Mohali, “Image analysis of single cell expression from a genetic device”. |
| May 2018 to Jul 2018 | Paresh Mahapatra | Completing his B. Tech. degree | Summer trainee, B.Tech. student, “Simulating DNA polymer dynamics: towards modeling restriction enzyme diffusion”. |
| Jan 2012 to May 2018 | Manasi Gangan | Postdoctoral researcher, Boedicker Lab, Univ. Southern California, USA | PhD student 2011-2018, “Cell Growth in Escherichia coli: Study of Fluctuations and Asymmetry in Cell Extension”. |
| Aug 2016 to Dec 2016 | Kaveri Vaidya | PhD student, Kamat Lab, IISER Pune | integrated PhD rotation student, Tubulin biochemistry |
| Feb 2013 to Jan 2016 | Prangya Mishra | Employee in IT/Engineering company, Pune | Proj. Assistant, Image analysis of cell shape and dynamics |
| Feb 2013 to Jan 2016 | Kiran Nilangekar | PhD student, Agharkar Research Institute, Pune | Project assistant 2013-2016, Cell culture of PC12 cells, microinjection and microscopy |
| Aug-Dec 2016 | Aniket Ravan | PhD student, Univ. Illinois UC, USA | Intern, Simulations of cell shape using a cellular potts model |
| Jun-Sep 2015 | Ruediger Busche | Informatik (IT) | DAAD-RISE summer trainee, Fitting bacterial growth kinetics and their inhibition |
| Jun-Sep 2015 | Lea Ana Kutsch | - | Semester intern: IISER-Univ. Goettingen exchange, Microtubule polymerization dynamics in vitro and in theory |
| May 2014 to Apr 2015 | P. Priyatham | IT-ES employee, Hyderabad, India | MS Masters Thesis “Cell size distribution in S. aureus characterized by image analysis of fixed populations” |
| May 2013 to Nov 2013 | Karishma Bhagat | - | Summer trainee and semester project trainee |
| May 2013 to Nov 2013 | Sonal Lagad | - | Summer trainee and semester project trainee “Quantifying bacterial colony patterns” |
| Aug to Sep 2013 | Christian Niederauer | PhD student, Germany | Summer trainee- DAAD RISE “Modeling and building microfluidic devices for bacterial chemotaxis” |
| 2013 | Ajey Tiwari | Intern “Order parameters for collective behaviour spatial simulations” | |
| 2013 | Swati Sharma | PhD student, Rikhy lab (developmental biology), IISER Pune | iPhD rotation student “Analyzing microtubules in Aspergillus sp.” |
| 2013 | Dhriti Nagar | PhD student, Ghose lab (neurobiology), IISER Pune | iPhD rotation student “Microfluidics for bacterial growth” |
| 2013-14 | Shagun Maheshwari | Intern “Flow chamber for mechanics of Hydra detachment” | |
| 2012-13 | Saurabh Mahajan | Postdoc and lecturer, Bangalore | Intern “Simulating microtubule-motor mechanics in neuronal growth cones” |
| 2011-12 | Shraddha Shitut | Intern “Bacterial growth and morphology through image analysis” | |
| 2011 | Vinay Nair | PhD student | MSc project student “Modeling the mechanics of nuclear deformation in cells” |
| 2009-11 | Hemangi Chaudhari | Postdoc employee, CRISPR, Boston, USA | Intern and MSc Project student “Quantification of growth phase and strains in bacterial morphology through image analysis” |
| 2009-10 | Sneha Jadhav | PhD student, USA | Intern “Mathematical modeling of two-state protein systems” |
| 2009 | Ankita Jha | Postdoc, NIH, USA | Intern “Aspergillus microtubule microscopy” |