Dr. Manjunatha Thondamal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, GST, GITAM. Dr. Thondamal obtained his Masters (M.S. by research) from JNCASR. He joined Dr. Hugo Aguilaniu's lab at ENS Lyon, France as a doctoral student. He worked on dietary restriction (DR) mediated lifespan extension and its impact on reproduction in C. elegans. Dr. Thondamal was awarded the doctoral degree with the highest possible distinction from the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon in 2014. He was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Rochester, NY USA. He served as a DST INSPIRE Faculty at Dr. Reddy’s Institute of Life Sciences, Hyderabad. Before joining GITAM, he was an Assistant Professor at SRM University AP. Dr. Thondamal is a visiting scientist at the Institute Pasteur, Paris (2019-2022). He received a prestigious award from the Foundation pour la Recherché Medicale (FRM) France in 2014, and an Early Career Research Award (ECRA) from SERB in 2018. Dr. Thondamal has published several articles in prestigious research journals (Nat. Comm, PLoS Gen, etc). Dr. Thondamal’s research group mainly focuses on the genetics of aging using C. elegans as the main model. Dr. Thondamal has initiated research projects on mitochondrial dynamics and its role in aging. Recently, a collaborative research finding (in association with DRILS, Hyderabad) from his lab on an animal model of atherosclerosis, is recognized by DBT as one of the success stories under the Chronic Disease Nutrition-Chronic/ Lifestyle panel.

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Could you please brief your experience being associated with GITAM University and being a part of the academic community here?

I strongly believe that private institutes such as GITAM can bridge that gap and significantly contribute to the social, political, and economic upliftment of society. I, being a graduate of Engineering witnessed a huge difference in pedagogical methods adopted by Western countries during my stay in France as a research scholar. I always felt the teaching and learning methods should focus on the overall learning process rather a mere “graduate-producing factories”. GITAM’s biggest strength is its commitment to maintaining the teaching rigor. With clear expectations, we communicate with students regarding coursework, assignments, assessments, and research projects.

What distinguishes GITAM University’s Ph.D. program from others?

GITAM offers extensive research opportunities for Ph.D. students, including access to state-of-the-art facilities, research centers, and funding opportunities. Students may have the flexibility to pursue research projects aligned with their interests and career goals. GITAM emphasizes interdisciplinary learning and research across various disciplines. This approach allows Ph.D. students to explore connections between different fields of study and address complex societal challenges from multiple perspectives. MURTI Ph.D. fellowships which offer students a monthly stipend of INR 40000/- is perhaps one of its kind in the country. Apart from MURTI Fellowships, GITAM also offers JRFs with a monthly stipend of 25000/-. Also, GITAM has established MURTI centers in its Visakhapatnam and Bangalore campuses. These research centers focus on translational research in the fields of Chemical Sciences, Healthcare, Material Science, Agriculture, and Sustainability. The university emphasizes community engagement, technology enablement, and social impact as integral components of its research. Scholars are encouraged to apply their research findings to address real-world problems and contribute to positive change in society. Lately, Pfizer has sponsored research fellowships students for pursuing a Ph.D. in Drug Design and Development.

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Can students pursue interdisciplinary research, and if so, how is that facilitated?

Yes and in fact, the main purpose of establishing MURTI centers in GITAM is to nurture interdisciplinary research. The boundaries between disciplines are getting thin, and a multidisciplinary approach is essential to address complex societal problems. GITAM is developing a culture of interdisciplinary research that brings together faculty and students from different departments and disciplines. These centers serve as collaborative platforms for addressing complex challenges that require expertise from multiple fields. Ph.D. students have the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary research projects under the guidance of faculty mentors associated with these centers. Ph.D. students are encouraged to collaborate with peers and faculty members from diverse departments and disciplines. They have the flexibility to work across disciplinary boundaries, drawing upon insights and methodologies from various fields to tackle research questions from novel perspectives.

Can you elaborate on the research facilities and resources available to Ph.D. students?

GITAM boasts state-of-the-art laboratories equipped with advanced instruments and equipment to facilitate translational research across disciplines such as engineering, sciences, humanities, and management. These laboratories provide Ph.D. students with hands-on experience and access to specialized facilities for experimentation and analysis. At its Vizag campus, the university has a medical science and research institute that enables research scholars and faculty to initiate clinical research. The university also has an animal house facility to engage the research on animal models. MURTI-SAIF (Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility) has very high-end analytical equipment such as high-resolution Mass Spectrometer (LC/MS-QToF), LC/MS – Triple Quad, NMR, FE-SEM, etc., which are easily accessible to scholars. Institute is in the process of establishing other facilities such as Confocal Microscopy, the Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS), FACS, etc., to expand its research infrastructure. GITAM offers high-performance computing (HPC) facilities and computational resources to support computational modeling, simulation, data analysis, and numerical computations across various research domains. Ph.D. students can leverage these resources to conduct complex computational studies and simulations. The university also subscribed to a wide spectrum of research journals. Scholars can easily access research journals through the library and GITAM’s online platforms. The university also provides travel grants for students for conference presentations and research visits.