Get to Know Us
We are both PhD students studying RNA modifications at the University of Toronto. Mid-way through our graduate careers we felt very passionately about science communication, teaching and discussion. Not Just RNA started as a passion project to discuss complicated RNA research and its impact on medicine, human development or scientific curiosity! We hope to create a safe platform where anyone can ask questions and sense of community where we can learn and grow together.
Hello
My name is Pallavi!
I am very passionate about Science and art work. During my undergraduate studies I investigated how secondhand smoke exposure can increases an infant's risk of developing ADHD and/or Austin spectrum disorder. My PhD thesis investigates how different muscle cells and brain cells can look at the same gene in our DNA and make entirely different protein through a process called "Alternative Splicing".
Not Just RNA is a passion project, I hope to share my love of science and create safe space where we can ask questions and engage in spirited discussion about the wonders of RNA!
Hello
My name is Sanjana!
During my childhood, I saw central dogma (DNA makes RNA and makes protein) - the formula of flow of information in cells and was taken aback. There wasn’t a day after that when I wasn’t intrigued by the wonders of Molecular Biology and as I progressed my resolve of pursuing research in this field grew stronger. I was also interested in coding and had always looked for opportunities to hone my skills and wanted to apply those concepts to my research as well.
I worked as a project assistant after my undergrad on generating a boolean model to predict breast cancer subtype outcomes based on patient specific gene signatures. After gaining some research experience, I joined Dr. John Calarco’s lab in University of Toronto where I work on intersections of Molecular (RNA) biology and computational biology. I am a first-gen PhD student investigating regulation of a crucial RNA processing step - alternative splicing and how it shapes our organs, specifically the nervous system.
I am grateful to be on this journey and naturally wanted to share the joy science brings me with people outside science. Hence, I joined this project to further the understanding of scientific concepts, specifically the hidden gems of RNA biology and how it impacts and shapes us. After all it’s not just RNA! It does much more.
You can also find me on my sci-comm and academic content Instagram page - thescienceylife.
