Meet our Early Career Scientist Grant Winner Shravan S. Parunandi
It’s time to meet the next winner of our Early Career Scientist Grant - Shravan S. Parunandi!
Our monthly grant was created to offer financial support to early career life science PhDs and postdocs around the world. Over the last four years we have helped more than 50 young researchers with the cost of travel to conferences, publishing fees, lab supplies and much more.
Our latest winner, Shravan S. Parunandi, is a PhD student working in the Antony-Babu lab at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA, who plans to use the grant to help fund his Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) training and to buy essential reagents for protein profiling of EVs.
When we asked Shravan how he felt about receiving the grant, he told us:
I'm incredibly grateful to receive the Early Career Scientist Grant from Hello Bio. This support comes at a pivotal moment in my research journey, giving me the freedom to explore new experimental ideas and invest in key reagents. It’s more than just funding, it’s a vote of confidence in young scientists like me, and that really means a lot. Shravan S. Parunandi, Texas A&M University, USA, Hello Bio Early Career Scientist Grant winner
Congratulations Shravan! First, can you tell us a bit more about what you’re working on at the moment?
I’m fascinated by the idea that plants don’t grow alone, they actively shape the microbial communities around their roots, forming complex relationships that can influence their growth and resilience. My current research centers on Sorghum, investigating how it selects specific microbes that enhance biological nitrification inhibition (BNI), a natural process that reduces nitrogen loss in soils.
What makes this especially exciting is the role of plant-derived secondary metabolites and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in mediating these interactions. These tiny biochemical signals help shape the microbiome in ways that improve nitrogen uptake (NUP) and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), contributing to both plant health and environmental sustainability. To study this, I’m working with synthetic microbial communities and sequencing technologies to uncover how plant genetics and environmental factors drive microbiome assembly.
This research not only deepens our understanding of plant-microbe interactions but also brings us closer to engineering microbiomes as a tool for more sustainable agriculture.
What excites you most about your field of research?
What excites me most about my field is the hidden complexity of plant-microbe interactions. Studying the root microbiome brings together molecular biology, ecology, chemistry, and even soil science, all to understand how plants actively shape their microbial communities. It’s incredible to think that invisible organisms, communicating through chemical signals and vesicles, can drive major changes in nutrient cycling and plant health. The potential to harness these microbes to improve sustainability and reduce our reliance on synthetic fertilizers is what keeps me deeply motivated.
Which scientists working today do you most admire, and why?
I greatly admire Dr. Jennifer Doudna and Dr. Jean-Michel Ané for their transformative contributions to science. Dr. Doudna's pioneering work in elucidating the CRISPR/Cas9 system, originally derived from bacterial adaptive immunity against bacteriophages, has revolutionized genome editing across biology and medicine, offering unprecedented precision and potential in genetic engineering. I also admire Dr. Jean-Michel Ané, who is widely recognized for his research on plant-microbe symbioses, particularly in understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms that govern beneficial interactions such as nitrogen fixation. Both scientists not only advance the frontiers of their respective fields but also serve as inspiring mentors and advocates for early-career researchers.
What do you think are the biggest challenges currently facing life scientists and their work?
One of the biggest challenges is to have access to cutting edge technology and training such as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and access to funding, expensive reagents, etc. for downstream analysis. For early-career researchers, even small grants can make a big difference. There’s also the challenge of publishing and navigating academic metrics, which can sometimes overshadow creativity and risk-taking in science.
And finally… what’s your favourite science joke?
“Why did the mushroom go to the party?”
“Because he is a fungi!”
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Thank you so much Shravan! We wish the best with your future research projects and look forward to following your career as it progresses.
Connect with Shravan:
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LinkedIn: Shravan S.
Are YOU a life science PhD or postdoc researcher? Why not apply for our next monthly grant!
Application is quick and easy, just fill out the form here: https://hellobio.com/early-career-scientist-grant-application
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