Pooja Sethiya
Dr
Post-Doctoral Research Scientist
Westmead Research Hub EMCR committee member
PhD (Biomedical Sciences)
pooja.sethiya@wimr.org.au
Biography
Pooja Sethiya, PhD, is a fungal biologist with unique expertise in genomics and bioinformatics which she applies to investigate how fungi cause disease, and the mechanism of action of novel antifungal drugs.
She is also an expert in transcriptional regulation and has discovered that spores of pathogenic fungi, long believed to be dormant, are in fact transcriptionally active. Through integrated genomics approaches, she further revealed that stress plays a key role in driving antifungal drug resistance, including resistance to fluconazole.
Dr. Pooja Sethiya is a postdoctoral fellow working with Associate Professor Julie Djordjevic to investigate how fungi cause deadly disease in humans and new therapeutic approaches to treat these infections. Her expertise in multi-omics approaches—including genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics—has advanced the understanding of fungal pathogenesis and the mechanisms by which laboratory-discovered or collaboratively developed compounds inhibit fungal growth, paving the way for their potential clinical application.
Research interests
Fungal Biology, Cryptococcus neoformans, Genomics, Transcriptomics, Proteomics, Drug Discovery, Using multi-omics approaches(genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) to understand how fungi cause disease and the mechanism of action of novel antifungal compounds.
Adjunct roles
| Research Affiliate | University of Sydney, FMH |
Additional information
EDUCATION:
- PhD (Biomedical Sciences) – University of Macau, 2021
- MSc (Bioinformatics) – University of Pune, 2014
- BSc (Biotechnology) – University of Pune, 2012
PROJECTS:
Using various omics platforms to determine the impact of inhibiting:
- Fungal cyclin-dependent kinases and IP3-4 kinases, pharmacologically and core phosphate signalling machinery using genetic ablation
FUNDING AND COLLABORATION:
COLLABORATION
- Angela Connelly, Ben Crossett- Sydney Mass Spectrometry, University of Sydney, Camperdown 2006, NSW Australia
- Michael J. Boucher, Hiten Madhani- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
STAFF ID (Sydney Uni): 1182581
Professional Associations and Organisations
| Member | Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute’s- FungiSphere Node | |
| Member | Centre for Drug Discovery Innovation |
Awards and recognition
| Awarded EMCR Seed Grants as Chief Investigator: University of Sydney, The Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute- FungiSphere. University of Sydney, Centre for Drug Discovery Initiative. |
| Associate Investigator: University of Sydney, Centre for Drug Discovery Initiative Stage 2 Grant |
