I graduated with a PhD degree in Microbiology from Defence Food Research Lab and Bharathiar University, India in 2015. During this time, I had my first foray with bacteria while working with clinical samples. I found that certain facultative anerobes like S. aureus mask and often aid the growth of strict anaerobes like Clostridium perfringens. Interestingly, the alpha toxins produced by both the pathogens mimic each other in their hemolytic activity, albeit structural discreteness. I worked on developing a chimeric vaccine encompassing non-toxic yet immunogenic domains of both the alpha toxins. This became a major part of my PhD thesis. Besides working on my thesis, I was also actively involved in multiple projects that resulted in many co-authored publications. One of the collaborative projects I was involved was to probe the immunomodulatory effects of Salmonella Typhi heat shock protein GroEL during Shigella infections. We found that S. Typhi GroEL when either co-immunized as a chimera or as a cocktail with Shigella T3SS effector ipaB induces protective immunity against Shigella infection in mouse model. This study established the hitherto unknown adjuvant properties of Salmonella GroEL. I was also involved in epidemiological investigation of outbreaks. In the early 2011, I was part of a team of 5 scientists that successfully managed an Anthrax outbreak among cattle in South India by assisting veterinarians with early diagnosis, employing a novel in situ immunofluorescence assay. After two brief pit stops in pharma and biotech companies, in 2016, I reached Temple University, Philadelphia as a postdoctoral researcher. Here my research focused on the role of interleukin-36 family members in immunity against Herpes simplex virus-1 infections. However, in early 2018, I moved back to antibacterial research in Prof. Ranjana Pathania’s lab at Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India to study the role of bacterial small regulatory RNAs in modulating antibiotic resistance and virulence in A. baumannii. I will be completing my tenure in IIT Roorkee soon and have currently accepted a postdoc position in Prof. Andres Vasquez Torres’ lab at University of Colorado.