Ph.D., Indian Institutes for Science Education and Research (IISER Pune). Pune, India.

During my summer internship days I was captivated by evolutionary mechanisms that bring about diversity of forms in the living world. I developed an interest in understanding the molecular intricacies of organ development and specification in evolution.

I completed my PhD in L S Shashidhara’s lab at IISER Pune trying to understand the evolution and development of halteres in Drosophila melanogaster in comparison to hind wing appendages in other insects. I primarily studied the role of Ultrabithorax (Ubx) in the development of wings in a silkmoth species (Lepidoptera), in comparison to species of other insect orders.

To sustain my continued interests in understanding the evolution and development of organs, I joined the Extavour lab in 2015 as a post doc. My current interests revolve around understanding the mechanisms of development of ovarioles and regulation of their number in Drosophila.

Prasad, N.*, Tarikere, S.*, Khanale, D., Habib, F., Shashidhara, L.S. A comparative genomic analysis of targets of Hox protein Ultrabithorax amongst distant insect species. Scientific Reports 6: 27885 (2016) *equal first authors