My name is Shiv Narayan Rai. I earned my PhD in RNA Biology (2019–2024) from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, where my doctoral research focused on small regulatory RNAs in Deinococcus radiodurans. By combining RNA sequencing, molecular genetics, and computational analyses, I identified and functionally characterised a novel small RNA, DrsS, that regulates manganese uptake and enhances DNA repair, contributing to the organism’s strong radioresistance. This work was published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology (DOI: 10.1128/aem.01538-23).

After completing my PhD, I conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University at Buffalo (2025). My work focused on long non-coding RNAs in T-cell regulation and HIV-1 latency, using lentiviral systems and transient overexpression approaches to study regulatory mechanisms.

Through these experiences, I have developed strong technical skills in molecular cloning, PCR-based assays, vector design, bacterial and mammalian cell culture, lentiviral production, RNA and protein analyses (RT-qPCR, Northern and Western blotting), shRNA-mediated gene silencing, luciferase reporter assays, and functional studies of regulatory pathways in infection and immune response models