Dr. Rajashri Banerji

Ph.D. Thesis on:

Role of Interspecies Bacterial Communication and Polyamines on Bacterial Pathogens

Dr. Rajashri Banerji completed her Ph.D. at the Laboratory for Bacterial Communication, where her work focused on understanding bacterial virulence, stress adaptation, and host–pathogen interactions. During her time in the laboratory, she worked extensively on bacterial signaling and the role of host-associated factors in regulating pathogen survival and pathogenicity.

Her research particularly explored how bacterial communication molecules influence the physiology and virulence of pathogens such as Streptococcus pyogenes and Listeria monocytogenes. She was involved in studies examining the role of quorum sensing molecules, oxidative stress adaptation, intracellular survival, and bacterial responses to host-associated environments.

One of the important aspects of her work involved understanding host transcriptional responses during bacterial infection, especially the role of Early Growth Response 1 (EGR1) during host–pathogen interactions. Her studies contributed to understanding how bacterial pathogens interact with and modulate host cellular pathways during infection.

Apart from experimental research, Dr. Banerji contributed to several review articles and collaborative projects related to bacterial pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance, bacteriophages, and microbial stress responses. Her work reflected a strong interest in understanding bacterial adaptation not only from a molecular perspective, but also in the broader context of infection biology and translational microbiology.

During her Ph.D., she was actively involved in mentoring students and contributing to the research environment of the laboratory. Her scientific approach combined curiosity-driven exploration with strong experimental rigor, and her work continues to contribute to several ongoing research directions within the laboratory.

Following her doctoral training, Dr. Rajashri Banerji continued her scientific career in biomedical and translational research, further expanding her interests in infectious diseases and host–microbe interactions.