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Dr. Ruchira Singh is an Associate Professor and the recipient of the Dean’s Professorship in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester Medical Center where she also has joint appointments in the Department of Biomedical Genetics and the Center for Visual Science. Ruchira received a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) in India, and she completed her graduate studies in Physiology at Kansas State University. Next, Ruchira conducted postdoctoral research in Pharmacology at Yale School of Medicine, followed by a postdoc position in stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joined the faculty at the University of Rochester in 2014. In this interview, Ruchira discusses her life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:17)
When she’s not working, Ruchira loves spending time with her two kids. Even the small, everyday moments they spend together doing things like going to McDonalds, the park, or their local library bring her so much joy.
The Scientific Side (3:00)
Ruchira studies eye diseases to understand why some people can’t see as well as others, and the knowledge gained can be used to develop new treatments for diseases like age-related macular degeneration and Batten disease, which can cause blindness.
A Dose of Motivation (5:21)
“Tough times don’t last, tough people do.” – Robert H Schuller
“This too shall pass.”
What Got You Hooked on Science? (7:22)
Ruchira didn’t follow a traditional path to becoming a scientist. She grew up in India with her two older siblings, and there was pressure from her father for at least one of them to become a doctor like him. When her siblings decided to pursue other paths, Ruchira felt like she had to become a doctor. However, in high school, she had an opportunity to change her path when the school introduced a new computer science curriculum. Ruchira gladly took this opportunity and began studying computer science. The same year, there was a terrible accident where Ruchira was hit by a bus, and she was in the hospital for months. While in the hospital, she began to get more interested in biology and medicine. Though she regretted pivoting to computer science, she stuck with it and went to the U.S. to get a master’s degree in computer science. Ruchira helped design websites on the side to earn money, and this is how she met the professor who ultimately became her PhD advisor. While working on the lab’s website, Ruchira became more and more fascinated by their research. Realizing Ruchira’s interests and potential, the professor encouraged Ruchira to pursue a career in science and helped her get up to speed on biology to enroll in the school’s PhD program.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (14:58)
Getting her first R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health was really difficult. These grants provide substantial funding and are a critical metric of success for faculty. Ruchira struggled to convince the people reviewing her applications that the model system she proposed to use (patient-derived stem cells) was a good platform to study diseases of the retinal, such as age-related macular degeneration. She submitted the grant several times and kept getting the same negative feedback. Ruchira realized she either needed to change the focus of what she was working on in the lab, or she needed to prove that this model made sense to use in her research. After working hard on this problem, Ruchira and her lab members were able to show that you can mimic key aspects of the human disease pathology in the stem cell models, and this could not be done in the commonly used animal models. This opened the door for funding and was a major victory.
A Shining Success! (18:12)
Her early experiments in patient-derived stem cells were critical for establishing that this model system was useful for studying retinal diseases, but they also led to an interesting discovery about the mechanisms of age-related macular degeneration. One of Ruchira’s key arguments for why a common animal model wouldn’t work for her research was because the animals don’t develop the disease or the disease-associated pathology. As they tried to better understand the disease process for age-related macular degeneration, they were able to demonstrate an early pathological hallmark of the disease in their cell models. From there, they discovered that a particular enzyme was required in the disease pathology, and this enzyme is not present or active in the animal models, potentially explaining why they don’t ultimately develop the disease. This was a fascinating finding that really justified Ruchira’s approach in her research.
Book Recommendations (21:29)
Malgudi Days by R. K. Narayan
Most Treasured Travel (22:52)
Ruchira had an opportunity to attend a conference held in the Gold Coast in Australia. The conference was great, and Ruchira really enjoyed exploring the beautiful beaches, relaxing by the water, sampling the fresh local bread and cookies, and holding a koala.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (24:49)
Ruchira will never forget all of the kind and generous people she has worked with over the years who took the time and went above and beyond to teach her new things in different labs. Scientists are very motivated to answer their research questions and work together collaboratively to get to the solutions. However, careful work and intense observation can’t always prevent unexpected mishaps in the lab!
Advice For Us All (28:29)
Give 100% to whatever you do, but also make sure to find time to do something other than science. Ultimately, taking time away from science can allow you to think better and be less stressed. Also, learn from people around you. Watch how your mentors and colleagues approach science. There’s no shortcut. Science takes a lot of time and effort, but you should also prioritize life outside of work.
Guest Bio
Ruchira’s research is mainly focused on understanding the biology of complex retinal and neurodegenerative diseases at a cellular and molecular level and using that knowledge to devise rational therapies. Most recently Ruchira’s work has focused on disease mechanism and therapeutics of Batten disease and age-related macular degeneration. As part of this work, his group has been using patient-derived human stem cells to study and therapeutically target the disease pathology in patient-derived retina cell model of the disease. They have identified potential therapeutic target for age-related macular degeneration. Outside of work, Ruchira’s life revolves around her two young kids, a now 6 year old son (Ronak)and an 8 year old daughter (Antra). They enjoy going out to eat, meeting friends at the village playground and spending time at local library. Most of these activities are pursued with the help of her spouse (Ravi Alluri) in the little village of Geneseo in the scenic Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York.