CV

Education

• Ph.D in Molecular and Cell Biiology, University of Connecticut, 2024 (expected)
• M.S. in Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University, 2016
• B.Tech. in Biotechnology, SRM University, 2013

Scientific Skills

Computational Biology

• 16S rRNA and metagenomic data analysis: QIIME2, Anviio, R, DADA2, MEGAN, MGRAST, Kraken and others.
• Transcriptomics: ENSEMBL, Trinity, DESeq2, edgeR
• Single cell transcriptomics: Seurat, scanpy
• QC and alignment tools (example): MultiQC, SAMstat, Bowtie, HTseq, STAR
• CHIP-seq
• Analyzed metaproteome using Scaffold
• Familiar with multi-omic correlation analysis of metallomics, metabolomics and metagenomics data with software such as Diablo.
• Familiar with machine learning algorithms like Random Forests
• Applied statistical analyses on genomic and transcriptomic data
• Routinely conducted analyses on High-Performance Computing (HPC) platforms using bash scripts

Microbiome

• Illumina metagenomic library preparation
• Culturing anaerobic bacteria
• Microbiological techniques (including outer membrane vesicle extractions, peptidoglycan isolation, biofilm measurements)

Microscopy

• Imaging Immunofluorescence (sections and whole mount cleared tissue), fluorescence in situ hybridization, hybridized chain reaction FISH with confocal microscope

Molecular Biology

• DNA, RNA, protein extractions
• Western Blot, RT-qPCR

Research experience

University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

Graduate Research Assistant

• Characterized microbiome of symbiotic organ in 11 species of squids to identify patterns of ecological and evolutionary relationship with host
• Analyzed host transcriptome of multiple symbiotic organs in the Hawaiian bobtail squid to identify shared immune response to symbiotic bacteria
• Confirmed gene expression and protein production with RT-qPCR, western blots, and microscopy techniques like immunofluorescence and hybridized chain reaction- fluorescence in situ hybridization
• Described host proteome in squid macrophages under different conditions and observed cell movement under confocal microscope
• Characterized tunicate and seawater microbiomes to identify potential producers of bioactive secondary metabolites
• Characterized metaproteome in squid eggs

University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI

Research Assistant

• Analyzed 16S rRNA microbiome of polychaete worms under different life history stages
• Compared 16S rRNA and metagenomes of biofilm and culturable bacteria from same biofilms
• Maintained lab animals, aquariums, managed lab resources, assisted post-docs

Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Lab Assistant

• Setup Microbiology lab by preparing media and pouring plates, maintaining cultures

Publications

• Vijayan N, McAnulty SJ, Sanchez G, Jolly J, Ikeda Y, Nishiguchi MK, Réveillac E, Gestal C, Spady BL, Li DH, Burford B, Kerwin AH, Nyholm SV. Evolutionary history influences the microbiomes of a female symbiotic reproductive organ in cephalopods. ASM Applied and Environmental Microbiology PMID 38315021

• Rogers T, Yalçın G, Brinseño J, Vijayan N, Nyholm SV, and Simakov D (2024) Gene modelling and annotation for the Hawaiiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes. Scientific data Jan 6;11(1):40. PMID 38184621

• Baden T, Briseño J, Coffing G, Cohen-Bodénès S, Courtney A, Dickerson D, Dölen G, Fiorito G, Gestal C, Gustafson T, Heath-Heckman E, Vijayan N. et al (2023) Cephalopod-omics: emerging fields and technologies in cephalopod biology. Integrative and Comparative Biology, p.icad087. PMID 37370232

• Desplat Y, Warner JF, Blake EJ, Vijayan N, Cuvelier M, Blackwelder P and Lopez JV (2023) Morphological and transcriptional effects of crude oil and dispersant exposure on the marine sponge Cinachyrella alloclada. Science of The Total Environment, p.162832. PMID: 36924960

• Rouressol L, Briseno J, Vijayan N, Chen G.Y, Ritschard E, Sanchez G, Nyholm SV, McFall-Ngai MJ, and Simakov O (2023) Evolutionary Emergence of Novel Genomic Regulatory Regions Associated with Light Organ Development in the Bobtail Squid. iScience PMID: 37426346

• Vijayan N and Hadfield MG (2020) Bacteria known to induce settlement of larvae of Hydroides elegans are rare in natural inductive biofilm Aquatic Microbial Ecology. 84:31-42

• Vijayan N, Lema KA, Nedved BT and Hadfield MG (2019) Microbiome of the polychaete Hydroides elegans (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) across its life-history stages. Marine biology. 166:19

Presentations

Poster Presentation: MIT Microbiome Symposium (2023): Tale of two symbiotic organs: Hawaiian bobtail squid uses similar mechanisms to control different symbiotic bacterial populations in different organs

Oral presentation: Squid-Vibrio Symposium (Virtual 2023): Tale of two symbiotic organs: Hawaiian bobtail squid uses similar mechanisms to control different symbiotic bacterial populations in different organs

Oral presentation: Cephalopod International Advisory Council (2022), Portugal: Characterization of symbiotic bacteria found in a female reproductive organ of multiple cephalopod species

Poster Presentation: Pioneer Valley Microbiology Symposium (2022), University of Massachusetts: Host phylogeny shapes the microbiome of the female reproductive organ in cephalopods

Invited speaker UConn MCB Graduate Recruitment (Virtual 2022): The bacterial diversity and host immune response in the symbiotic reproductive organ of female cephalopods

UConn Research in progress seminar (2021): Localization of innate immune proteins in the female symbiotic organ of Euprymna scolopes

Oral presentation: Squid-Vibrio Conference (Virtual 2021): Localization of host proteins by immunofluorescence in the accessory nidamental gland of Euprymna scolopes

Oral presentation: Squid-Vibrio Conference (Virtual 2020): Two symbiotic organs and a squid: Comparing and Contrasting Light Organ and Accessory nidamental gland transcriptomes

UConn Graduate Seminar (2019): ‘Mama knows best’: The microbiome of female squid and cuttlefish

Awards and Fellowship