Postdoctoral Researcher

Rajalakshmi completed her B.Sc. in Chemistry from Calicut University, India, in 2013. Drawn to the interdisciplinary nature of life sciences and technology, she pursued an M.Sc. in Biotechnology at Cochin University of Science and Technology, completing in 2015. Her growing interest in nanomedicine led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) under the mentorship of Dr. Aravind Kumar Rengan, completing in 2022. Her doctoral research focused on developing an innovative hybrid nanosystem for cancer theranostics, integrating chemotherapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), and photodynamic therapy (PDT) to enhance treatment efficacy. Throughout her Ph.D., she gained experience in nanomaterials synthesis, surface functionalization, drug delivery, and in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies, contributing to advancements in cancer nanomedicine. In 2022, She moved to the United States to expand her research expertise as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Maynard Lab at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Under the guidance of Prof. Heather Maynard, she is currently working on stimuli-responsive polymeric materials for peptide conjugation, with a primary focus on therapeutic strategies for insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Beyond her research, Rajalakshmi enjoys cooking, traveling, and exploring diverse cultures and cuisines.