Chandrashekhar Padhi

Integrated B.S. & M.S. in Biotechnology 2013: KIIT University, India

Ph.D. 2022: ETH Zurich, Switzerland

cpadhi[at]illinois.edu

Shekhar hails from Bhubaneswar, the temple city of India. This is where he did his Bachelor and Master studies in science with a major in Biotechnology (2008-13) gaining experience in various interdisciplinary fields including Salmonella infection. For his master’s dissertation at CSIR-Institute for Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in New Delhi, he studied Type III PKSs from Mycobacterium which kindled his passion for natural products research. Following his passion, he moved to ETH Zurich in Switzerland for his Ph.D. in the lab of Prof. Joern Piel (2016-22) and spear-headed the discovery and characterization of a novel α-pyrone-based trans-AT polyketide antibiotic and the spliceotide family of ribosomal peptide natural products, expanding into their enzymology, bioactivity, and mechanisms of action through biosynthetic and x-ray crystallographic studies. In the Van der Donk lab, he aims to explore RiPP biogenesis from novel DUF692-associated gene clusters using the FAST-RiPPs automated platform. His favorite pass time is basking in the sun enjoying a classic novel, preferably in good company.