Charu Deepika graduated from Bachelors of Technology – Biotechnology (2017) in Anna University, India with a gold medal for academic excellence. The drive for success made her Joint Secretary of the Department and was also elected as Student Chairperson of the University in the academic year 2016-2017 in which her leadership qualities and resilience were expressed. The three-years inquisitive research on macroalgae species in the Indian Ocean made her choose Australia with a 36735 km coastline composing more than 9000 species in macroalgae as a perfect destination to pursue her PG.

Charu graduated from Master of Biotechnology Research Extensive (2019) at The University of Queensland. As a part of her Masters, she joined the Hankamer Group at IMB to work with Prof. Ben Hankamer on developing a high-throughput screen to optimise nutrient blends for high-efficiency saltwater microalgae production. The comfort feeling of being inspired and fully equipped to try different ideas at IMB ignited the desire to pursue Ph.D. in the same lab and acquired UQ Graduate School Scholarship for Ph.D. at IMB.

Currently, she is a Ph.D. student at IMB working on developing high-effciency microalgae-based production system for the first-in-class biologic neuroprotective drug Hi1a and its analogue PcTx1. Charu is on her track to evolve as an expert in the field and reach the zenith in biotechnology.

“Biotechnology is a core subject to understand world science, today with fast-growing techno world and vanishing natural resources biotechnologists would be the only professional potential to rebuild the extinct.” – Charu Deepika