Nishaant Kumar Palani Balaji

Graduate Student at Université de Genève

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

About

I am a PhD student in Biology at the University of Geneva, building on my BS-MS degree from IISER Mohali. My research focuses on molecular and cellular biology, and I specialise in applying advanced microscopy to answer fundamental biological questions. I have hands-on experience with a range of cutting-edge imaging techniques, including live-cell, super-resolution, and ultrastructure expansion microscopy. I am driven by a passion for fundamental research and thrive in collaborative scientific environments. Outside of my work, I enjoy staying active through sports.

Experience

  • Research Intern at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali
    Aug 2022 - Jun 2025 · 2 yrs 11 mos

    Investigated the ubiquitin-like fold (Ubl) of Sde2 and its processing by deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) across diverse eukaryotes, including functional studies with human USP7. We explored the preference of cells for Sde2 Ubl over ubiquitin within the UFD pathway and its physiological significance through the RNA splicing assays

  • Master's thesis at Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
    Jun 2024 - Apr 2025 · 11 mos

    Exploring the Roles of Septins in Autophagy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Visualising the Actin Cytoskeletal Network Using Ultrastructure Expansion Microscopy in Yeast and Mammalian Cells (IntAct-U-Exm)

  • Summer Intern at University of Heidelberg
    May 2023 - Aug 2023 · 4 mos

    Incorporation of Unnatural amino acids in Yeast and Mammalian cells Supervisor: Prof Gislene Pereira at Centre of Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg Worked on incorporating unnatural amino acids in budding yeast (S. cerevisiae) and mammalian cells (HEK293T and RPE1 Tet3G) to pull down cross-linked proteins with specific properties of the unnatural amino acids to determine the protein interaction network further

  • Summer Intern at Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
    May 2022 - Aug 2022 · 4 mos

  • Event Organizer at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Mohali
    Apr 2022 - Apr 2022 · 1 mo

    Organised Intra-IISER Lawn Tennis Tournament part of Intra-IISER tournament 2022.