Profile
Arun Prasad Pandurangan
My CV
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Education:
Holly Cross Matriculation, Salem, India
Bharat Secondary School, Vellore, India -
Qualifications:
Desia Higher Secondary School, Vellore, India
BSc Computer Science, University of Madras, India
MSc Computer Science, University of Madras, India
PhD Computer Science – Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, India -
Work History:
Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Birkbeck, University of London, UK
Research Associate, Biochemistry Department, University of Cambridge, UK
Scientific Programmer, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK -
Current Job:
Investigator Scientist, MRC laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
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About Me:
I am a friendly and interactive person. Love science, sports, music. Take life as it comes.
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I am a computational biologist (a.k.a bioinformatican) living and working at MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge. I mainly use computers to develop models of biological macromolecules to better understand their function in human health, disease and drug resistance.
I enjoy playing cricket, badminton, tennis and many more outdoor games. I love listening to music and spending time with friends and family members. Day dreaming is part of my daily activity which often fuels new ideas for my research work. I take life as it comes with minimal expectations.
I love reaching out to the public to share my work through public engagement activities. I am STEM Ambassador in the Cambridge area and an Ambassador of the Royal Society of Biology
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I am interested in studying proteins using computers. Proteins are an important class of biomolecules responsible for performing various basic functions including carrying oxygen, digesting food, maintaining out memory and many more).
Some example proteins
Using computers, I try to understand how proteins look and interact with other molecules in our body to perform vital functions. Representing proteins in computers allow us to perform theoretical simulations. For instance, we could use it to find how a newly designed drug molecule would bind to the protein.
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My Typical Day:
I cycle 20 mins for work. Log in to my computer work station. Check emails and respond to them. Write and test a piece of computer code related to the analysis of protein sequence and structure. Occasionally, provide voluntary help in peer reviewing scientific manuscript before publication. Attend research talks or lab group meetings at my work place. Chat with colleagues more widely on science and life in general.
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Mostly, I start my day thinking about protein structures. Use computers and databases to design mathematical models to capture the patterns of similarities between proteins with similar functions found in different organism and species. We use these models to efficiently search and annotate proteins with unknown functions.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I will use the prize money to develop a online platform that will engage school students and wider public and allow them to contribute (through easy visual exercise of identification and matching) to our understanding of protein structures and its classification.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Kind, passionate and generous
What did you want to be after you left school?
I wanted to do Astronomy
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes! I was more interested in sport than in excelling in studies. So I was doing very bad in exam results.
What's your favourite food?
Traditionally South Indian Thali
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Equality for everyone; Pease for everyone; Good health for everyone
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