Welcome to my space
I am Shri Vishalini, a researcher shaped by layered identities, unexpected turns, and a steady curiosity that has only grown with time. My scientific path has not been linear or effortless, but that is exactly what makes it real.
Growing up in a small town in South India, science always felt like something that belonged to someone else, a luxury of access, language, and finances. Opportunities existed, but reaching them often meant working through barriers that were not visible in textbooks. Over time, with persistence and support, I broke through those walls, not by erasing where I came from but by carrying it forward with me. My turning point came during an internship after undergrad, when I encountered computational biology for the first time. It was not love at first sight; it was more like finding a puzzle that finally made sense. I realized I could bring together biology, data, and logic in a way that felt intuitive and exciting. Since then, I have never looked back.
Today, I work at the intersection of computational biology, human toxicology, and the oral microbiome, exploring how large-scale biological data can uncover meaningful patterns in health and disease. I specialize in building scalable, multi-omics pipelines and making sense of complex systems, often using only publicly available data. But what drives me is not just the technical challenge; it is the chance to ask better questions and make science more accessible, rigorous, and interdisciplinary.
Along the way, I have been mentored by incredible scientists and communicators, people who did not just teach me skills but helped me see how science could be collaborative, inclusive, and transformative. From Dr. Pramod Shinde to Dr. Michelle Scherer, each has shaped how I think about research and responsibility. Their influence reminds me that science is not just about what we know; it is about how we choose to share it.
I care deeply about science communication, interdisciplinary thinking, and making tools and knowledge that others can build on. Whether I am writing a pipeline, mentoring a student, or presenting research to a non-scientific audience, my goal is the same: clarity, integrity, and impact. I am exploring career options in academia, industry, and other specialized paths, and I am enjoying that. One thing I know for certain is that I want to continue conducting research that matters and sharing science with the people it is intended to serve. This site is one part of that story - a space where code meets curiosity and data meets meaning.
