Dr Saurabh Chaudhary

Publication

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Research

My research focuses on fundamental problems in the field of molecular biosciences such as gene expression and regulation, alternative splicing, and chromatin biology. I have been involved in various international projects as follows:

1. Testis specific gene regulation in Drosophila melanogaster (2020-2023)

The project funded by BBSRC to Prof. Helen White-Cooper (Professor, Cardiff University). In this project, we will dissect the mechanism by which a multi-subunit DNA-binding complex, TMAC, identifies target promoters and activates gene expression in testes. This will reveal fundamental insights into how tissue-specific gene expression can be achieved with very short promoter regions, and how genes can evolve expression in testes.

2. Epigenetics of Alternative Splicing (AS) in Plants (2017-2020)

The project was funded by Leverhulme-trust to Dr. Naeem Hassan Syed (Reader, Canterbury Christ Church University). In this project, we used epigenetically different but genetically same lines of Arabidopsis to explore how different chromatin marks such as DNA-methylation and Nucleosome Occupancy modulates AS in plants under cold stress. The findings in the projects lead to some interesting facts and still giving new insight into the regulation of Epigenetics of AS in plants.

3. Transcriptome analysis and identification of cold tolerance genes in Seabuckthorn (Hippophae Sp.) (2009-2013)

The project was funded by DBT, Gov. of India to Prof. P.C. Sharma (Professor, GGSIP University). In this project, we performed complete transcriptome analysis and identified genes for cold and freeze tolerance in Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.). Seabuckthorn is a medicinal and stress-tolerant plant species native to Indian Himalayas. We used different strategies including DeepSAGE and transcriptome sequencing to identify genes for cold and freeze tolerance and optimize de novo assembly for seabuckthorn transcriptome.

Biography

My current research “Testis specific gene regulation in Drosophila melanogaster” under the supervision of Prof. Helen White-Cooper, includes a deep understanding of the mechanism by which a multi-subunit DNA-binding complex, TMAC, identifies target promoters and activates gene expression in Drosophila testes. This will reveal fundamental insights into how tissue-specific gene expression can be achieved with very short promoter regions, and how genes can evolve expression in testes.

Before, joining Cardiff School of Biosciences as a Research Associate in August 2020, I finished my first postdoc at Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU), UK. I joined the School of Human and Life Sciences, CCCU, as Principal (Postdoctoral) Research Fellow, in a Leverhulme Project entitled “Epigenetics of Alternative Splicing in Plants”, in February 2017. Throughout my postdoctoral training, I utilized and developed my laboratory, bioinformatics, teaching and training skills. I gained extensive experience in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies such as RNA-Seq, MNase-Seq, WGBS, ChiP-Seq, and Ribo-Seq, including from sample, and library preparation to complete data analysis using various bioinformatics tools. I did contribute to planning laboratory experiments, helping undergraduate student projects, and teaching in the department.

I earned my Ph. D. in 2016 under the supervision of Prof. P.C. Sharma from the University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. The work plan of my thesis “Transcriptome profiling and identification of genes for cold tolerance in seabuckthorn (Hippophae sp.)” involved interdisciplinary research spanning the fields of genomics, transcriptomics, and bioinformatics. I worked on agronomically and medicinally important plant seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) native to various extreme climatic conditions of Europe and Asia. After completion of Ph. D., I joined National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology (Indian Council of Agriculture Research), New Delhi, as Senior Research Fellow (SRF) in a project entitled “Genetic modification for the improvement of Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) in cereals”. I worked as a lead bioinformatician in the project to analyse the Next Generation Sequencing data to identify key genes responsible for nitrogen efficiency, root-bacterial interactions and BNF in rice.

Honours and awards

• Travel Grant from ITS section, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to give an oral presentation in Transcriptomic-2015, held at Orlando, USA.
• Travel support from New Phytologist, to present a poster in Next Generation Scientists-2019, Dublin, Ireland.

Academic positions

• Research Associate, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK (2020-present)
• Principal Research Fellow, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK (2017-2020)
• Senior Research Fellow, National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, India (2016-2017)
• Research Scholar, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India (2009-2016)
• Technical Support Executive, Atharva Biosciences Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, India (2008-2009).

Committees and reviewing

• Grant reviewer, BBSRC.
• Journal reviewer, New Phytologist; BMC-Plant Biology.