Ajeeth Adhikari, Ph.D.
Doctoral Thesis: Advancing the Tiancimycins as Payloads for Antibody-Drug Conjugates
Undergraduate Institution: University of California, Berkeley
Noteworthy Publications: Characterization of TnmH as an O-Methyltransferase Revealing Insights into Tiancimycin Biosynthesis and Enabling a Biocatalytic Strategy To Prepare Antibody–Tiancimycin Conjugates, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2020)
Honors and Awards: Richard & Helen DeVos Graduate Fellowship (2015-16); Scripps Research Dean's Fellowship (2015-16)
Favorite Aspects of Graduate Studies: "The best aspects of my graduate school experience were the interpersonal relationships I developed during my Ph.D. Scripps is full of exceptionally talented individuals, and it's truly a privilege to interact with them while immersed in scientific and intellectual curiosity. By far the most impactful individuals to me were my mentors and role models, Drs. Ben Shen and Christoph Rader. Their approach to science, mentorship, and life in general serves as a blueprint I hope to follow throughout my life."
Next Steps: "I hope to leverage my training at the interface of chemistry and biology to design and improve food products that can compete with and eventually replace those produced by animals. I am currently working in R&D for Impossible Foods, a company using science to make meat from plants."
Be sure to join us at 10 a.m. PDT on Friday, May 21 for our Virtual Commencement Ceremony! Adhikari's advisor and mentor, Prof. Ben Shen, will deliver a few words about his graduate experience (as will Adhikari), and viewers can learn about our 41 other 2021 graduates, who are now setting out to build careers that will impact the future of biomedical research.
