Hailing from India, I completed my undergraduate studies at IISER Tirupati and am currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry under Prof. Evan Williams. My research interests are centered around exploring the use of a promising new technique called Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry (CDMS) that is capable of weighing Mega Dalton-sized molecules like viruses, nanoparticles, large polymer assemblies, and biomolecular aggregates – a category of analytes inaccessible to conventional mass spectrometry. I am currently involved in elucidating structural properties of DNA origami assemblies using our home-built CDMS instrument. Collaboration being the heart of our research practice (we are welcome to more!), I am also engaged with other projects involving characterization of nanoplastic waste, and polymers used in pesticides. In my leisure time, I can be seen playing racquet sports and dancing to Bollywood songs. I love socializing and making new friends – so next time you meet someone who knows “Veena” – they are probably referring to me 🙂
Veena Shankar Avadhani
