PROMOTING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BETWEEN INDIA AND THE U.S.
This article is by Bhargav Sanketi. Bhargav shares what he is truly passionate about and how he acts on that outside of the research field:
“Ever since I was a child, I was always fascinated by the human brain. So naturally I was inclined towards topics in biology, psychology, etc. After finishing high school, I decided not to take the medicine route, but to pursue my interests through a career in research. Mental health and brain disorders are an issue that I strongly care about because I believe that they have the worst impact on people’s quality of life. The combination of a lack of awareness, social stigma and rising amounts of social anxiety and pressures make it an issue that is desperate for attention all over the world.
In a country like India, especially, the socio-economic scenario is such that most people remain undiagnosed and patients face a lot of prejudice. My friend Prarthana (a theatre graduate) and I run a theatre production house. We run it with the intention of not only delivering poignant experimental theatre, but also to “Break Every Stereotype” (which we cheekily call B.E.S.T). Both of our productions so far have tried to address mental health issues. Our first play called “Shards of a Life,” which focused on a character suffering from depression, I believe created a lot of awareness about the same.
As far as my research is concerned, I am interested in topics of developmental neurobiology. During my Khorana program research, I am working on tagging secretory proteins with CRISPR for Live cell imaging which is very important for understanding neurodegenerative disorders. During a previous research stint, I have worked on neuro-regenerational models. This is something I am truly passionate about and wish to do as much as I can in the future.”