Shruti Sharma
Home Town: Mumbai, India
Prior Degrees:
- BSc, Microbiology & Biotechnology, R Ruia College, Mumbai, India
- MSc, Biotechnology, University of Mumbai, Mubai, India
- PhD, Cell Biology & Immunology, University of Maryland - College Park
Programs:
What is the ultimate goal of your research?
Our primary research questions are rather basic - how does the ‘innate’ immune system coordinate homeostatic tissue function and how is that balance critically perturbed during disease. My ultimate goal is to follow the breadcrumbs and hopefully discover something fundamentally conserved about immune regulation across multiple organ systems.
What excites you about your research?
Immune-system mediated regulation of homeostasis remains a frontier in immunology. The process of discovery at its nascent borders is both very challenging and satisfying, no matter the size of the discovery.
What do you like best about GSBS students?
My experience thus far has impressed me with their commitment and enthusiasm for pursuing their scientific queries.
What qualities distinguish GSBS from other graduate schools?
The relatively small size of the programs fosters close collaborations and investment in combined successes usually not seen in other programs.
What do you do to relax?
Currently this involves “dancing” with my toddler and gardening when otherwise able.
What is your favorite local restaurant?
Cook (Newton), The Local (Wellesley) and Mistral (Boston) are noteworthy. I am also a sucker for Ethiopian Cuisine and the one we gravitate to locally is Addis Red Sea in the South End.