Dr. Richa Priyadarshini is a doctorate from the University of North Dakota, USA where she worked in the lab of Dr. Kevin Young on bacterial cell division. Thereafter, she pursued her post-doctoral research in the lab of Dr. Christine Jacob-Wagner at the Yale University where the focus of her research was bacterial cell morphogenesis. Subsequently, she joined the Forsyth Institute as postdoctoral fellow where the focus of her research was Histone-like protein, HU in Porphyromonas gingivalis. Dr. Priyadarshini has published many papers in leading international journals

Research Area: Our lab research work is focused on elucidating the mechanism of cell wall biogenesis and its role in bacterial physiology and diseases. We are working on the following areas:

1. Bacterial cell wall morphogenesis: One research area my lab is working on is cell division and morphogenesis of bacterial cell using Caulobacter crescentus as a model system. My broad research goal is to uncover the spatio-temporal regulation of cell wall synthesis in bacteria again better understanding of bacterial cell division.
2. Bacterial Biofilms: Biofilms are known to mediate many diseases, as biofilms shield the bacteria from outside environment making it harder for antibiotics to kill bacterial cells. Our lab is studying the role of cell wall hydrolases in biofilm formation in pathogens such as, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
3. Microbial biodiversity and beneficial microbes: Currently, we are trying to understand and establish the bacterial communities present in aquatic and soil habitats. We are studying both synergistic and antagonistic microbial interactions in these communities in hope to develop new generation of antimicrobials.

Teaching

Undergraduate:

Microbiology (BIO202), Fundamentals of Molecular Biology (BIO206), Scientific Reasoning and Discovery CCC506

Graduate:

Microbial Technology (BIO524)