Mithra completed her undergraduate education at PES Institute of Technology in Bangalore, India, and moved to the US to pursue a master’s degree in Biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University. Being exposed to the incredible research environment at Johns Hopkins inspired her to do a Ph.D., and she joined the Pharmacology program in 2016. She is currently conducting her dissertational research in the laboratory of Drs. Robert and Janet Siliciano, where her work is focused on understanding HIV latency using principles of Immunology and Bioinformatics. Her other research efforts in graduate school led to the development of novel assays that can be used to monitor the elimination of this reservoir in preclinical models of HIV. Mithra was curious to learn how scientific discoveries like those she was working on can become real solutions to help people. She thus enjoyed participating in the Commercialization Academy at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures and is an active member of the Johns Hopkins Graduate Consulting Club. Mithra is committed to making science transparent and accessible to everyone. She hopes to help stimulate public engagement with academic research, empower people to make confident healthcare decisions, and inspire the next generation of leaders. It is her personal goal to mentor anyone interested in a scientific career, which is why she enjoys teaching genetics to exceptional high school students through the Summer Academic Research Experience (SARE) program at Hopkins. Mithra is currently preparing to graduate and aspires to follow a career path that maintains her love for science while fostering her growth as a teacher and a science communicator.
