Affiliation(s):

• Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Wayne State University

My Undergraduate degree is in Chemistry from the Honors School of Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. My masters and PhD degrees are in organic chemistry and nutritional biochemistry respectively from Wayne State University.

Since my tenure, in addition to building upon my own work, I have been fortunate to have had opportunities to help several other investigators (from various departments at WSU including Biology, Nutrition, Oncology, Internal medicine and others from outside WSU) incorporate metabolomics into their respective projects. In addition to the scientific stimulation of being actively involved with research in diverse fields, the publications, research ideas and potential grants, it has been a pleasure to work and interact with so many brilliant scientists!

Prior to joining Wayne State, I worked at a Biotech company whose primary focus was the development of diagnostic assays for veterinary and human disease conditions. In my role as a senior scientist, I was encouraged to attend several conferences with an aim to understanding the needs of the biomedical field and developing technologies. At one such conference, I met with a brilliant professor from MIT who was developing 2D gas chromatography instrumentation for detection of small molecules in environmental sciences. My mind at once thought of extending that technology to the detection of small molecules in biofluids. As I dug further, I was excited to find the very early papers in the field of metabolomics! Both Lung and pancreatic cancers are notorious for their late diagnosis, leading to poor prognosis and patient survival. With that in mind, I joined Wayne State with a quest to using metabolomics for developing early risk markers for lung and pancreatic cancer and the possibility of preventing or delaying their onset by nutritional interventions.

With the aging of the American population, dementia including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is on the rise. it Is also documented that although beta amyloid protein, a hallmark in Alzheimer’s brain development, starts building in middle age, it is not until a certain threshold is reached that cognitive declines becomes symptomatic. This affords a window into potential prevention or delaying onset of the debilitating disease. My recent funding was used to investigate the effect of curcumin and palm phenolics in a diet induced rat model of AD. The very exciting findings makes me want to pursue this further. In addition, I have also started exploring the possibilities of similar mechanisms involved in anxiety and depression, both of which unfortunately have seen a steep rise in the pandemic, especially in our younger generation. It will be very satisfying on a personal level and as a scientist if I can make a difference, however big or small in the area of mental illness.

Although I have been lucky to have interacted and learnt from many scientists, my PhD mentor and now a dear friend, Professor Leora Shelef, an eminent microbiologist and chemical/food engineer by training, is the one I admire most. As a woman in science, her professionalism, sharp scientific curiosity, dealing with everyone with respect, kindness, yet with firm conviction of what she believed in and stood for has always helped me navigate my way through the many challenges that I have faced as I follow my academic dream and passions. I endeavor and hope to inspire and support my junior colleagues and students with the enthusiasm and positivity that has been instilled in me.

Being engaged in community work, interacting and being able to help people in general is always fun for me! So, apart from my research and teaching at Wayne State, I enjoy being a part of ongoing community building, whether it is by serving on various committees or hanging out and talking to students on fun diverse topics!

For the last 4 years, I have been deeply immersed in the Rochester Adams High School marching band parents board – loved being on the field every Friday, organizing and serving dinner among other activities, to the 150 or so band kids and then relax and enjoy the music/watch the game! In addition, I like to visit seniors, learn from their experiences, while I read, chat, help them with groceries etc, which became even more rewarding over the last year during the pandemic.

Other than that, I enjoy gardening, dancing, going for long walks with my dog in the beautiful trails all over Metro Detroit and experimenting in my home laboratory, the kitchen!