`Balamurugan Field of study

Packialakshmi Ph.D. (Microbiology)

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

To achieve success in our endeavors, we must

“Plan purposefully; prepare prayerfully;

Proceed positively; pursue

persistently”

It is to this belief that I attribute all my accomplishments and my passion

towards academic research.

My school education provided a strong foundation in science and

prepared me to explore a wider world beyond text and academics.
My deep understanding of subjects and hard work made me school
topper in Higher Secondary Examinations. Good scores I obtained
during my Higher Secondary education (Biology 98%, Physics 99%,
Chemistry 99%, Mathematics 95%) helped me to gain admission in
Agricultural Biotechnology program at Tamilnadu Agricultural
University, a pioneer Institute for Agricultural research. Knowledge in
theoretical and practical aspects of basic sciences helped me to
understand Biotechnology, an interdisciplinary research field and
motivated me to pursue independent career in research.

My academics and first research

My Bachelors degree education started at Tamilnadu Agricultural

University (India) where I was exposed to basic courses like
Microbiology, Cell biology, Biochemistry, Genetics and Safe lab
practices. All basic courses in Bachelors degree provided both
theoretical and practical knowledge in Biotechnology. This
knowledge and my innate curiosity attracted me towards research.

My first research work was on “Diversity analysis in Rice bean

using Molecular markers RAPD and SSR”. We analyzed diversity
of 16 varieties with Molecular markers RAPD, SSR for crop
improvement. My part of research was DNA isolation, Polymerase
chain reaction and scoring the diversity of bands in gels. In labs I
learnt basic aspects of lab ethics, working among others, research
attitude and the history of pioneers in science. Guidance and
encouragement from my faculty advisor motivated me to involve in
research with full potential.

During my School and college days, I learnt computer courses and

got “Diploma in Computer Applications” with first division. This
helped in learning Bioinformatics and I became proficient in
retrieving information, articles and sequences from various
Databases like NCBI, EMBL, and analysis with bioinformatics tools
(BLAST, CLUSTAL, and Primer 3).

Activities beyond Academic frontier

Since I believe that a sound mind exists in a sound body, I go to

gym regularly and I was the runner up in Mr. Agri 2004. This active
involvement made me the Gym secretary in my final year college. I
strived hard to modernize the old gym and succeeded in opening a
new gym facility. As I have always tried to gain social perspective in
my activities, I participated in scout programs spending my leisure in
social activities like tree planting.

Further from Bachelors degree

I wanted to apply my knowledge from Bachelors degree in useful

research. So I competed for the Department of Biotechnology
Fellowship and successfully got the fellowship (among 2000 students
who competed) to study Master of Sciences (Molecular biology and
Biotechnology) in Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and
Technology. This program further advanced my knowledge in
Molecular biology and its applications in Medicine, Agriculture and
Industries.

My current focus

My curiosity in Microbiology was evoked in the early stages of my

college life when we reared a rabbit to raise antiserum against
Albumin fraction. I verified the presence of antiserum by ELISA. To
understand in depth, I referred books like Lehninger’s Biochemistry
and Pelczar’s Microbiology. My Professors cleared my doubts with
interest and involvement. Even during off hours, I discussed complex
topics with my friends and explained them topics known to me.
During such discussions, my openness to criticism and acceptance of
correct views sharpened my insight and I found that knowledge
flourishes with sharing. Then I thought to include teaching in my
career to share and gain knowledge at the same time.

Being a Biotechnologist, host-microbial interaction is an active area

of research to me. During post graduate research I worked in
“Comparative genomics approach to find novel genes for
Rice Blast Disease resistance using Lipoxigenase-3 gene
from Jasmonic acid pathway”. My thesis work is related to
Jasmonic acid pathways and its role in plant defense against fungal
pathogens. In the course of this pursuit, I have gained hands-on
expertise with various cutting-edge Molecular biology techniques.

I eagerly presented my research in National conference on

“Antimicrobial resistance: From emerging threat to reality”.
Presenting my research findings and observing recent
advancements in the field of Microbiology motivates me to advance
knowledge through research and apply it for human
welfare.

ACADEMIC STATEMENT

In my PhD program I want to explore host-pathogen interactions.

Immune system detects many pathogens but some
pathogens/cancer cells evade immune response. Signal transduction
and regulatory proteins play a key role in coordinating immune
response and also in pathogen evasion. Understanding the molecular
mechanism involved in host-pathogen interactions and pathogen
evasion will help to combat diseases. For example if we know the
genes involved in pathogen evasion we can suppress the genes by
drugs to render that pathogen susceptible to immune response.

Pursuing my PhD program at Kansas State University will be a major

leap towards achieving my objectives. I visited the department
research web pages and found how the Biology department
integrates diverse research disciplines from Microbial genetics to
Ecology. In this post genome sequencing era, where interface
between different disciplines is increasing, a prudent researcher
should employ interdisciplinary approach and finally integrate
knowledge from all disciplines, which is very well catered to by your
program. Additional teaching responsibilities during graduate studies
will improve my knowledge and provide extra edge to my future
career.

I fully understand that a research career needs strong personal

commitments and sacrifice of leisure. Still, my desire to contribute
original knowledge to biological sciences motivates me to pursue
research. Further academic research alone can provide the
intellectual satisfaction in my personal and professional life.

I hope that I will be given opportunity to enrich my knowledge and

research abilities in your academic environment. Such an
opportunity for academic research with experienced faculty
members and excellent infrastructure can convert an enthusiastic
graduate student to a creative research scholar. Similarly I will
contribute my own knowledge and values towards improvement of
department and campus life. I eagerly look forward for pursuing my
PhD program in Kansas State University.

(Balamurugan Packialakshmi)