Background
I am fascinated by how life can endure, survive, adapt, thrive and evolve in extreme environmental conditions. My research interest is to explore the limits of life by studying microbial communities as a model system. I use Omics and Systems biology approaches to dissect complex environmental microbiomes. I am currently working towards a Ph.D. at Monash University, where my research focuses on studying the microorganisms that inhabit nutritionally limited and physically extreme environments such as glaciers and their surrounding ice-free areas. My goal is to understand how these microorganisms participate in primary succession and pave the way for the development of new ecosystems. Moreover, I am investigating microbial communities that thrive in other nutritionally scarce environments, such as meteorites and different types of rocks.
I hold an M.Sc. degree in Biotechnology from Madurai Kamaraj University, where I focused on studying the production of secondary metabolites from endophytic fungi for my thesis. Since completing my degree, I have worked on several research projects that have allowed me to explore the microbiomes of hot springs, rivers, and deep marine environments.