Saraswathy Vaidyanathan is a student at UMass Lowell.

Saraswathy Vaidyanathan

Ph.D. Candidate - Biological Sciences

Department
SWIMMER

Biosketch

I received my BS and MS degrees in Biotechnology from India. Following my master’s degree, I worked as a research assistant in the Subbiah Lab in NIAB, India. During my time there, I worked on the characterization of non-structural proteins V and W of Newcastle disease virus. I joined the Steinel Lab in UMass Lowell in Fall 2019, where I am currently studying the immune response of a small fish, threespine stickleback. Specifically, my PhD project will focus on the effect of copper exposure on fish immune responses. I use spatial transcriptomics and histological techniques to study fish adaptive immune responses. I believe my proposed work will not only provide a framework for studying the mechanisms leading to toxicity of contaminants on the immune system but also understand its effect on the health of fish that reside in polluted environments.

I am excited to be a part of this interdisciplinary team which is the unique aspect of this graduate program. As a SWIMMER NRT trainee, I hope to develop the necessary skill set that will aid in my professional growth.