Shilpa Ray

Shilpa received her Ph.D. in November 2018 from KIIT University, India, on the identification of serovar-specific virulence factors contributing to the pathogenesis of Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis. She joined KI as a postdoctoral researcher in February 2019. Since then, her research has been aimed primarily at understanding the interactions between antiretroviral drugs and gut microbiome in HIV-infected patients and their underlying molecular mechanisms by integrating systems biology approaches with in vitro work. As a postdoctoral researcher, Shilpa expanded her research interests and developed them into independent research topics diverse but complementary to those of her group. Altogether, these topics and her studies aim at reducing bacterial infections, particularly nosocomial ones, caused by antimicrobial resistant bacteria. This includes developing, screening, testing, and repurposing drugs into new antibacterial agents as well as investigating their mechanisms of action and host–pathogen interactions. In 2023, supported by several prestigious competitive research grants obtained during her postdoctoral training (2019–2022) and subsequent research specialist position (2023 onwards), she became a team leader. She currently leads investigations into the microbiome and bacterial infections, with a particular focus on antimicrobial resistance, host–pathogen interactions, and the development of novel therapeutic strategies within her group.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Host-pathogen interactions, Gut microbiome patterns in treated HIV patients