Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology from Bangalore University in India and a Master’s in Applied Microbiology from Vellore Institute of Technology, Sai Pallavi Pradeep has a demonstrated love for research. Diving further into her passion after obtaining her degrees, Sai worked as a junior research fellow in the Indian Institute of Science, one of the most prestigious institutes in India.  

With a goal of continuing her education, Sai began applying to graduate programs and chose the UConn School of Pharmacy. For the past five years, she has excelled in classrooms and labs under her advisor and mentor, Raman Bahal (Ph.D.).

At the beginning of her journey here at UConn, Sai experienced a learning curve. Working as a teaching assistant and taking courses her first year, she learned how to multitask and balance her busy schedule. Now, being in the research-focused part of her Ph.D., Sai utilizes the writing and communication skills she learned from her classes during her first year in the program to facilitate and advance her research.  

Because presentation and communication skills are a necessity in presenting research findings and in finding areas of improvement, Sai is thankful for the training she’s received from her advisor, Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics, Raman Bahal. From discussion to experiments to writing papers and preparing presentations, Raman guides Sai with feedback and enthusiasm. Additionally, Raman pushes Sai out of her comfort zone, something she was anxious about initially but is grateful for now. Raman encourages Sai to try things she never imagined she would, like the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, where she presented her research in a three-minute presentation to a non-specialist audience. In this competition hosted by UConn, Sai won and went on to represent UConn in the global U21 competition.  

Passionate about nucleic acid therapeutics, Sai works mainly on peptide nucleic acids that can be used to target DNA, coding, and non-coding RNA. Her research centers on synthesizing peptide nucleic acids for antisense and anti-gene approaches aimed at modulating mRNA and reducing pathological protein expression. 

“Sai is an inquisitive student who consistently shows an intense eagerness to explore interdisciplinary knowledge and learn new experimental skills at the same time. OTS is a prestigious organization, and awarding her travel and poster awards for her research highlights her diligent efforts and dedication to nucleic acid-based therapeutics.” – Raman Bahal 

When Sai is not in the lab researching, she can be found at the UConn Rec Center or outdoors. A traveler on trekking and skiing trips with the Rec, Sai enjoys exploring New England in every season. 

Initially interested in the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society Conference (OTS) because of the overlap between their work and her research, Sai did research into OTS’s webinars and prolific scientific community. Also wanting to explore the industry component of OTS and their work, Sai applied for a travel grant for graduate or post-doctoral students. Sai was awarded the grant and attended the OTS Conference last month. When there, Sai also presented her research on nucleotides, winning the Best Poster award.  

Although Sai is happy that her hard work was recognized, she’s equally grateful for the opportunity to go to the conference in the first place. Learning from talented scientists about what she could implement in her own research while working on her professionalism skills, winning the Best Poster Award for Sai was an added bonus.  

“When it came to the conference, the interactions that I had with people and also what I got to learn was much more beneficial.” – Sai Pallavi Pradeep

Looking to the future, Sai is interested in a career path in the therapeutics field, where she can see her research translate into new medications. From validating peptide nucleic acids in in-vitro and in-vivo settings with various animal models, Sai has gained the confidence to apply her findings to an industry setting one day and is looking forward to facilitating discoveries that will translate to patient outcomes. This goal for translation was inspired by Sai’s first internship in the Ph.D. program, where she worked at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a leading biopharmaceutical company that develops RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics in Boston. 

Sai’s success in the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society Conference proved to be a full-circle moment for the dedicated researcher, serving as a culmination of her passion for discovery and confidence in her presentation skills she’s built at UConn.