Dr. Harsha Bajaj

Dr,

NIIST:

Google scholar : https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=Mf4RFwIAAAAJ&hl=en

ORCID:

NIIST IRINS:

Dr. Harsha Bajaj obtained her B.Tech in Biotechnology from NIT Warangal (2011), followed by M.Sc and PhD in the area of membrane biophysics from Jacobs University Bremen in Germany under the guidance of Prof. Mathias Winterhalter (2015). She worked in the New Drugs for Bad Bugs(ND4BB) European Union consortium, focusing on quantifying the transport of antibiotics across membrane porins of bacteria and their role in antibiotic resistance. She continued her post-doc in Germany in collaboration with the University of Cambridge to develop ‘Assays for quantifying antibiotic transport across membrane proteins (2016)

Dr. Harsha started her independent career as a DBT-Innovative young biotechnologist fellow (IYBF) at CSIR-NIIST Trivandrum (2018). Her group focuses on Membrane biophysics, Membrane biology and Synthetic biology

To know more about research activities and news of the group, please visit:https://www.harshabajajlab.com

Professional Experience
  • Post-Doctoral Research Associate (Apr. 2015 – Jul. 2016), Jacobs University Bremen, Germany, collaboration with University of Cambridge, UK
  • Guest Scientist (Jul. 2016 - Jul. 2017), Jacobs University Bremen, Germany
  • DBT-Bio-CARe fellow (Feb. 2018 – May. 2018), National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore
  • DBT- Bio-CARe fellow (Aug. 2018 – Feb. 2019), CSIR- National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum
  • DBT- Har-Gobind Khorana Innovative Young Biotechnologist fellow (Mar. 2019 – Aug. 2021), CSIR- National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum
  • Scientist (Aug. 2021 – to date), CSIR- National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Trivandrum
Area of Expertise

Membrane Biophysics, Membrane biology and Synthetic Biology

  1. Small molecule permeation across membranes and membrane proteins to elucidate the transport routes for their metabolism in bacterium.
  2. Investigating antibiotic transport, anti-microbial peptide interaction with cell- membrane mimicking vesicles.
  3. Membrane Biophysics
  4. Membrane biology and Synthetic Biology
Achievements & Awards
  1. NASI-Young Scientist platinum jubilee awards, NASI India. (2022)
  2. DST-INSPIRE Faculty award granted by Department of Science and Technology, India. (2020)
  3. Har-Gobind Khorana Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (IYBA) 2018 granted by Department of Biotechnology, India. (2018)
  4. Post-doctoral fellowship by the European Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) “Translocation” project, Jacobs University Bremen, Germany. (2015/16)
  5. Member of the President's List of the Academic Year, Jacobs University, Germany. (2012/13)
  6. Master of Science fellowship in Molecular Life Science, Jacobs University, Germany. (2011/12)
  7. Working Internships in Science and Engineering (WISE) - DAAD Fellowship, Jacobs University Bremen, Germany. (2011)
  8. Academic Scholarship awarded by National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India. (2009/10)
Completed Projects as Principle Investigator

 

  1. Aug. 2018 – Aug. 2021 DBT Biotechnology Career Advancement and Re-orientation Program (Rs 18.1 lakhs)
  2. Feb. 2019 -  Feb. 2022 DBT Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (IYBA)-                          (Rs 83.5 lakhs)
  3. Aug. 2020 – Jul. 2025 DST INSPIRE Faculty award (Rs 35 Lakhs)
Publications
  • Nandi, S., Nair, K. S., Bajaj, H*. Bacterial Outer-Membrane-Mimicking Giant Unilamellar Vesicle Model for Detecting Antimicrobial Permeability. Langmuir. 2023, 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00378 (* as corresponding author)
  • Nair, K. S., Raj, N B., Nampoothiri, K. M., Mohanan, G., Acosta-Gutiérrez, S., Bajaj, H*. Curved membrane structures induced by native lipids in giant vesicles. J. Colloid and Interface Sci. 611, 397-407. 2022 (* as corresponding author)
  • Krishnan, R. S., Jana, K., Shaji, A. H., Nair, K. S., Das, A. D., Vikraman, D., Bajaj, H., Kleinekathöfer, U., Mahendran K. R., Assembly of transmembrane pores from mirror-image peptides. Nat. comm. 13 (1), 1-13. 2022
  • Mohanan, G., Nair, K. S., Nampoothiri, K. M., Bajaj, H*. Engineering Bio-Mimicking Functional Vesicles with Multiple Compartments for Quantifying Molecular Transport. Chem. Sci., 11 (18), 4669–4679. 2020 (* as corresponding author)
  • Bajaj, H., Gutiérrez, S. A., Bodrenko, I., Malloci, G., Scorciapino, M. A., Winterhalter, M and Ceccarelli, M. Exploring physical rules for pe rmeation: sensing the electric field inside narrow protein channels. ACS Nano. 11, 5465-5473. 2017
  • Bajaj, H., Scorciapino, M. A., Moynie, L., Page, M. G. P., Naismith, J. H., Ceccarelli, M., and Winterhalter, M. Molecular Basis of Filtering Carbapenems by Porins from β-Lactam-resistant Clinical Strains of Escherichia coli. J. Biol. Chem. 291, 2837-47. 2016
  • Cama, J.*, Bajaj, H.*, Pagliara, S., Maier, T., Braun, Y., Winterhalter, M., and Keyser, U. F. Quantification of Fluoroquinolone Uptake through the Outer Membrane Channel OmpF of Escherichia coli. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 137, 13836-43. (* Shared First authorship) 2015
Alumni
  • Ms. Gayathri Mohanan (PhD Position- University of Leeds, UK)
  • Ms. Neethu B Raj
Academic Qualification

 

Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology, (2011). First rank 

National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India

            Master of Science in Molecular Life science, (2013). First rank with President Award,

Jacobs University Bremen, Thesis on “Molecular transport through Porins of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria”.

            Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biophysics and Membrane Biology (2015),

Jacobs University Bremen, Germany, based on the European Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) “Translocation” project. Thesis on “Antibiotic permeation through membrane proteins”.

 

Group

Students

Karthika

 

Ms. Karthika S. Nair
Designation : PhD Fellow UGC
Samir

 

Mr. Samir Nandi
Designation : Project Associate I
Sreelekshmi

 

Ms. Sreelakshmi
Designation : Project Associate I