Venkateswaran M

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT VENKATESWARAN M

Hi! I’m a PhD scholar at the HIV-AIDS Lab, JNCASR, Bangalore.My journey into biology began when I was around five years old, during a visit to the underwater aquariums in Sharjah, UAE. Seeing sharks, stingrays, and sea anemones for the first time sparked a deep fascination with life sciences. This wonder only grew stronger when I got to touch starfish and sea urchins on the shores of Khor Fakkan. These early encounters with marine life lit a spark that continues to guide me today.In high school, I was fortunate to learn under Mrs. Bindu, my biology teacher, who became one of my biggest influences. She encouraged curiosity-driven learning, letting us experiment with microscopes and bring in specimens-sometimes even the gross ones! Her support helped me fall in love with the process of asking questions and finding answers through science.During my master\'s rotations at JNCASR, I worked in four different labs, where I gained experience in molecular cloning, protein expression and purification, domain deletions, mammalian cell culture, and mouse handling. I also explored RNA probing methods, microscopy-based glial morphometrics using Neurolucida, and began learning Python to support lab automation and data analysis.I’ve now joined the HIV-AIDS lab as a PhD scholar, where my research is focused on viral transcription-specifically, understanding how HIV latency is established and regulated at the molecular level. This work is vital in advancing our ability to target and disrupt latent reservoirs, one of the major barriers to HIV cure strategies.While I\'m deeply invested in academic research, my long-term goal is to move into industry, where I can apply what I’ve learned to real-world biomedical challenges. I\'m particularly excited by opportunities that bridge molecular biology with therapeutic development, bioinformatics, and innovative lab technologies.If you\'re working in areas related to infectious disease, gene regulation, or biotechnology, and think we might have overlapping interests, I’d love to connect and explore potential collaborations.Thanks for reading- let’s build something meaningful together.