PhD in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology

Sushmita Mukherjee, PhD

** ******** *****, ******* ** 18940 aboawq@r.postjobfree.com Mobile 919-***-****

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Highly skilled in utilizing genetic, molecular and biochemical approaches to addre ss complex biological problems

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Demonstrated leadership as a mentor, teacher and departmental representati ve of student career network

Recognized for academic achievements

EDUCATION

PhD., Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 2003-2008

Master in Biology, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, 2002 -2003 (magna cum laude)

B.S., Microbiology & M.S. Biotechnology, Nagpur University, Barkatullah University & National Institute of

Immunology, 1996 -2001 (Top 1% of graduating class, Gold medalist )

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Lerner Research Institute, February 2009-December 2011

Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio

Postdoctoral research fellow; Advisor: Dr. G. C. Sen and Dr. J.A. McDonald.

Identification and functional characterization of Double-stranded RNA Binding Proteins (DRBPs) that are important

during development in Drosophila melanogaster. Functional study of mammalian counterparts carried out in parallel.

Developed cell culture-based and in vivo assays to identify DRBPs important for organism development.

Identified DRBPs important for viability and cell cycle using genetic approaches.

Characterized role of a DRBP, MRpL44, in cell cycle by using molecular, genetic and biochemical approac hes.

Research mentor/Project leader

Developed project and trained summer intern. Project: Generating mRpL44 deletion mutants by transposable

element hopping. Emily Lewis, 2011

Trained summer intern for fly stock maintenance, genetic cross setup and scorin g. Tuhin Roy, 2010

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC August 2003-December 2008

Graduate Fellow; Advisor: Dr. J. Sekelsky.

Genetic approaches to study DNA damage response to lesions involving both strands of the double helix in Drosophila.

Identification of a role for NBS and DmRad54 proteins in homology-mediated double-strand break repair.

Functional characterization of NBS and its role during early steps of double -strand break repair.

Research mentor/Project leader

Mentored an undergraduate student for honors thesis. “Analysis of DNA repair in okra mutant flies” Rob van der

Vaart. Honors in Biology, 2007

Co-mentored undergraduate for Research in Biology. “Mapping a new EMS generat ed mutation with a role in

DNA damage response” Sumreen Hussain, 2007

Teaching assistant

Taught Introduction to Biology Laboratory to two sections of twenty five freshmen, spring 2004.

Graded lab reports, quiz, two essays and a genetics case study presentation.

Held office hours twice a week and helped in administering and grading mid-term and final exams.

BBRI, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC January 2002-May 2003

Masters student; Advisor: Dr. P. K. Chatterjee

Helped in developing a novel high-throughput assay for generating deletion mutations in mouse BAC clones.

Validated the assay for use in mapping long-range regulatory s equences of a cardiac homeobox gene Nkx2.5

and the UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) Gene Family with implications in hypertension.

Taught molecular biology methods in the laboratory to an undergraduate. Isis Valladares 2001 -2002.

National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India July 2001-February 2002

Research Assistant; Advisor: Dr. R. S. Gokhale.

Expression cloning of a gene, pks9, in Mycobacterium tuberculosis with implications in disease progression.

EXPERTISE AND KEY STRENGTHS

Molecular biology techniques: Biochemistry: Software:

qPCR, Northern blots; RNA in situs, Protein expression & purification, Vector NTI, Gene construction kit

DNA microarray, RACE, FACS for Sub-cellular fractionation, Generating Sequencher, ModFit LT 3.2

Cell cycle analysis, Expression Polyclonal antibodies, Protein-protein FlowJo, AxioVision 4.8.2

cloning interactions Photoshop CS4, MS Office,

GraphPad, Prism, InStat, EndNote

Cell biology: Genetic assays: Cell culture:

IHC; Florescence & DIC Mutagenesis screens, Generation of Drosophila and mammalian cells

Microscopy mapping mutations

ACADEMIC FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award T32 funded by the NICHD of the NIH (2009-2011)

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Travel Award – 48 Annual Mid west Developmental Biology Conference, Cincinnati 2010

Magna cum laude for Masters thesis, NCCU (2002)

Excellence in research, Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, NCCU (2002)

Gold medalist (University Topper) M.Sc Biotechnology, Barkatullah University, India (2001)

Junior Research Fellowship at High Security Animal Disease Lab, Bhopal, India (2001)

Merit based masters scholarship/award, Barkatullah University, India (2000-2001)

First Prize for Inter-College Science Project, Nagpur University, India (1999)

Dr. R. Majumdar Award for Zoology (First Prize), Nagpur University, India (1998)

PUBLICATIONS, PRESENTATIONS & AFFILIATIONS

THESIS AND DISSERTATIONS

Mukherjee,S. 2008. DNA damage response to complex lesions involving both strands of the double-helix.

PhD dissertation, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC.

Mukherjee,S. 2003. High-throughput generation of deletion mutations to map long-range regulatory

elements. Masters Dissertation, Department of Biology North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC.

Mukherjee,S. 2002. Cloning and Expression of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene. Masters

Dissertation, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.

PEER-REVIEWED M ANUSCRIPTS

Mukherjee,S., Dickermen, B., W etzel, J., Sen, G. C. and McDonald, J.A. MRPL44 is required for normal cell

cycle progression during Drosophila development (Ready for submission, Feb 2013).

Mukherjee, S., LaFave, M.C. and Sekelsky, J. (2009) DNA damage responses in Drosophila nbs mutants with

reduced or altered NBS function. DNA Repair 8: 803-812.

Chi, X., Schwartz, R. J., Mukherjee, S and Chatterjee, P. K. Long Range Regulatory Sequences Delimited by

Progressive Deletions of a Mouse Nkx2-5-GFP-BAC Clone: A New Approach to Identify Distal Gene Regulators

in Evolutionarily Conserved Non-Coding Sequences. Current Genomics, Vol. 6 No. 7 (2005) 523-534 (12).

Chatterjee, P. K., Mukherjee, S., Shakes, L. A., W ilson W . III, Coren, J. S., Harewood, K.R. and Byrd, G..

Selecting transpositions using phage P1 headful packaging: new markerless transposons for functionally

mapping long-range regulatory sequences in bacterial artificial chromosomes and P1 -derived artificial

chromosomes. Analytical Biochemistry Volume 335 (2004) 305–315.

INVITED TALKS AND SELECTED ABSTRACTS (3 of 10)

Mukherjee S. February 2013. A nuclear-encoded mitochondrial gene, mRpL44, is required for G1 to S cell

cycle transition in Drosophila. College of Arts and Sciences, Widener University, Chester, PA. Invited talk.

Mukherjee S., Sen G. C. and McDonald J. December 2010. G1-S Cell Cycle Progression Is Dependent on

Presence of Normal Levels of a Mitochondrial Protein of the Ribonuclease III Family in Drosophila. Mol Biol

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Cell (abstract # 2812/L049). 50 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology. Poster.

Mukherjee, S., Sen, G. C. and McDonald, J. A. May, 2010. A double-stranded RNA binding protein is

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important for G1-S cell cycle transition. 48 Annual Midwest Developmental Biology Meeting, Cincinnati,

Ohio. Poster.

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