Research Profile: GitHub, Google Scholar, ORCID.
Hello! I am a Ph.D. student at North Dakota State University (NDSU), enrolled in the Department of Biological Sciences. My research interests lie in the field of computational biology, particularly in bioinformatics and genomics.
Biology is a domain that provides me with intellectual satisfaction and also enables me to help society in a way that I can. Currently, the biological domain I am working on involves small RNAs (such as piRNA and miRNA) and transposable elements (TE). I also enjoy working with different programming languages. I am interested in the intersection of computational biology and software engineering, where I can apply my skills to solve complex biological problems.
EDUCATION
| Degree | Institution | Location | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D., Biological Sciences | NDSU | Fargo, ND, USA | Aug 2022 - May 2026 |
| BS-MS, Biological Sciences | IISER | Pune, MH, India | Aug 2017 - May 2022 |
PUBLICATIONS
- Pritam, S., Signor, S. (2024). Evolution of piRNA-guided defense against transposable elements. Trends in Genetics.
- Pritam, S., Scarpa, A., Kofler, R., Signor, S. (2025). The impact of insertion bias into piRNA clusters on the invasion of transposable elements. BMC Biology, 23, 258.
- Pritam, S., Signor, S. (2025). Recent horizontal transfer of transposable elements in Drosophila. bioRxiv, 2025-10.
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Graduate Research Assistant: Signor Lab, NDSU (Aug 2022 - Present)
- Graduate Teaching Assistant: Biological Sciences NDSU (Spring 2024, Fall 2024)
- Masters Research Student: COSPI Lab, IISER Pune (Jun 2021 - Aug 2022)
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Small RNA Regulation in Megachile rotundata Diapause (Aug 2023 - Present): I analyzed miRNA expression patterns across diapause stages using miRDeep2, ShortStack, and custom Python/Raku pipelines
Flamenco Locus Duplication in Drosophila melanogaster (Dec 2024 - Present): The project involves characterisation of flamenco locus and its duplication across different strains of Drosophila melanogaster
Insertion Bias of Transposons into piRNA Clusters (Feb 2023 - Jul 2025): We developed computational models and performed population genetics simulations to study transposon invasion and host defense mechanisms
Horizontal Transfer of Transposons in Drosophila (Jan 2025 - Aug 2025): We used various computational methods involving phylogenetics and sequence analysis of TEs to detect horizontal transfer events across 300+ genome assemblies and 1200+ transposable elements
PPII Receptor Prediction (Jun 2021 - Aug 2022): We developed receptor prediction software for PPII peptides using superimposition-based methods and Monte Carlo simulations
TECHNICAL SKILLS
- Programming Languages: Python, R, Bash/Shell, Odin, Go, Rust
- Systems & Development: Linux/Unix, Git version control, Server administration
- Analysis Methods: Evolutionary Biology, Population Genetics, Comparative Genomics, Network Analysis
AWARDS & HONORS
- Best Poster Presentation (Ph.D. Category), Northern Plains Biological Symposium 2024
- Infosys Foundation Scholar, IISER Pune (2017-2018)
RELEVANT COURSES
Graduate: Computational Methods in Bioinformatics, Quantitative Biology, Statistical Machine Learning
Undergraduate: Linear Algebra, Statistical Inference, Combinatorics, Graph Theory, Operations Research, Algorithms, Mathematical & Computational Biology, Data Science, Microbiology, Genome Biology, Bioinformatics
PRESENTATIONS
Conference Presentations
Insertion Bias of Transposons into piRNA Clusters
- The Allied Genetics Conference (TAGC), Washington DC, March 2024
- Northern Plains Biological Symposium, Grand Forks, ND, March 2024
- Midwest Drosophila Conference, Allerton Park and Retreat Center, November 2024
- 66th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, San Diego, CA, March 2025
Recent horizontal transfer of transposable elements in Drosophila
- 67th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, Chicago, IL, March 2026