Pune, Representative : Miss Suhani Sharma and Mr. Aditya Maslekarfrom the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology (IBB, jointly merged with Department of Biotechnology) at the Savitribai PhulePune University have been the recipients of the prestigious Khorana Program for Scholars for the year 2024. This fellowship has been initiated in honour of Dr. Har Gobind Khorana and supported by The Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) and WINStep.The selected students will get research exposure at leading U.S. universities over summer 2024 for a period of 10-12 weeks. They are among the 75 students who were selected for this program at the national level.

Aditya was a student of Millennium National School, Pune before joining IBB. He will be working at Massachusetts General Hospital – Cancer Centre, Harvard Medical School, on Circulatory Tumor Cells (CTC). When asked about his accomplishment, Aditya says

My time at IBB has been transformative and has opened doors of opportunities. My learnings at IBB were definitely instrumental in helping me secure the Khorana fellowship and I am looking forward to exploring and pursuing my summer internship. The training at IBB has been a combination of both-theoretical as well as practical. The faculty at IBB has been very helpful in providing invaluable guidance and mentorship. They are always approachable and go out of their way to support you. In addition to the faculty, the interaction with PhD students on campus, has been very helpful in not only knowing the subjects but also connect me to the recent trends in the research field. I think, one highlight of IBB is the access to research labs and interactions with the researchers there.

It was game changer for me! These experiences, coupled with the skills and insights gained, were instrumental in my success in securing the Khorana Fellowship Suhani joined IBB from N.K. Bagrodia Public School, Rohini, Delhi. She is going to join National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

She explained her thought as “My journey at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology (IBB) has been instrumental in securing the prestigious Khorana Scholarship. The rigorous training and interdisciplinary environment at IBB provided me with the foundation and skills necessary to excel in my chosen field. The guidance and mentorship I received from my professors and lab supervisors were invaluable. Their expertise and encouragement fostered my research curiosity and challenged me to push the boundaries of my knowledge.

The collaborative research projects I undertook at IBB exposed me to diverse scientific disciplines, allowing me to develop a strong foundation for interdisciplinary research, a key aspect recognized by the Khorana Scholarship. I am incredibly grateful for the Khorana Scholarship, which recognizes my academic achievements and passion for interdisciplinary research. This award serves as a significant motivator to continue exploring the exciting frontiers of scientific discovery and contribute meaningfully to the field”.

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