Associate Professor
UT
Research
Cells are highly efficient machines that operate with great precision to promote their existence, proliferation, and function. Complex cellular processes operate in an error-free manner, largely due to intricate regulatory patterns that precisely organize multi-step processes in time and space. The Das Lab investigates these precise regulatory patterns that enable the cell to attain proper cell shape and divide efficiently. Studies from our lab as well as others have shown that these regulatory patterns involve self-organization of higher-order molecular networks. We explore these molecular networks using mainly the single-celled eukaryotic model system Schizosaccharomyces pombe, or fission yeast. Fission yeast cells have a well-defined shape and growth pattern, and divide by actomyosin-ring-dependent cytokinesis, making it an excellent model system for our investigations. Our research employs a broad interdisciplinary background in cell and molecular biology and genetics, with special expertise in quantitative live-cell imaging. We also collaborate closely with engineers and mathematicians to build predictive models of these regulatory mechanisms. The research in our lab is funded by the National Science Foundation (Molecular and Cellular Biosciences). For more details please visit the Das Lab website.
Education
PhD, Biosciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India