Student Spotlight: Amirtheswari Ganapathi

Amirtheswari Ganapathi received the Hagler Fellowship. Her research is on the chemotaxis of Clostridium ljungdahlii. Read further to learn about her PhD experience.

What motivated you about your research?

Since my undergraduate studies, I have been interested in exploring different scientific domains beyond my formal coursework. During the past 1.5 years of my PhD, this curiosity has led me to enthusiastically engage with multiple research areas within my lab, including an initial focus on antibiotic transport mechanisms in E. coli. When I was given the opportunity to study the chemotaxis of Clostridium ljungdahlii, a bacterium that I had neither worked with nor encountered before, I was motivated to learn more about it. The project initially began with my PI asking me to learn how to culture the strain, even though I did not fully understand its broader scope at the time. My literature survey led me to learn many interesting aspects of this organism, particularly its role in the fermentation of industrial waste gases. This process of learning from the ground up and uncovering the broader picture of a project keeps me motivated and reinforces my enthusiasm for interdisciplinary science.

What is a highlight in your PhD experience and what did you take away from  the experience?

One of the highlights of my PhD experience was the visit of Dr. Eleftherios “Terry” Papoutsakis from the University of Delaware, along with a postdoctoral researcher from his group, who are collaborators on our project chemotaxis studies of C. ljungdahlii. They spent three days in our lab in November assisting with the preliminary experiments for the project. These three days were especially impactful, as they allowed me to closely interact with a pioneer in the field and learn directly from his approach to research. Through hands-on discussions and experiments, I gained a deeper understanding of the physiology and behavior of C. ljungdahlii, the reasoning behind experimental design choices, and how to troubleshoot and adapt experiments in real time. I also learned how to think more critically about connecting biological questions to measurable experimental outcomes. This experience significantly shaped my perspective on experimental planning and strengthened my confidence as a researcher.

What advice do you have for current graduate students?

Research often involves uncertainties and setbacks, but these are where most of the learning happens. Asking the right questions and remaining open to exploration are valuable skills for a researcher. My advice to current graduate students is to stay curious, consistent and patient with themselves throughout the graduate school journey.