I’m a PhD student in chemical biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in Prof. Jefferson Chan’s lab. I build light-activated molecules that switch on only when a target molecule is present, then use them to map which proteins sit next to each other in cells, with a focus on inflammation and cancer.
I’m supported by the NIH Chemical Biology Interface Training Program fellowship, and have held the Janulis Graduate Fellowship and a Drickamer Research Fellowship.
Before Illinois, I earned my B.S. (Research) in Chemistry at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, where I worked on lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery, and spent a summer at Ruhr-Universität Bochum as a DAAD-WISE scholar.
Granted patent (India): Baidya S, Behera P, Sarmah S, Bharadwaj K, Nag M, Chakraborty D, Varadarajan R, De M. Ionizable lipid, process of preparing same, and applications thereof. Patent No. 604980; granted 5 October 2026.
Bandyopadhyay S, Gardner S, Nyamkondiwa K, Varadhan H, Kelch P, Bharadwaj K, Lee M, Panda A, Mortenson A, Tajkhorshid E, Chan J. Targeted nitric oxide delivery reveals MDA-dependent ALDH1A1 regulation and drug resistance. Submitted, 2026.
Bharadwaj K, Sarmah S, De M. Peptide-based coacervates for stimuli-responsive drug delivery: design, mechanisms, and applications. Submitted. Preprint
Baidya S, Sarmah S, Nag M, Chakraborty D, Behera P, Bharadwaj K, et al. Triazole-engineered ionizable lipids reveal design principles for enhanced mRNA delivery and viral neutralization. Submitted.
Afzal F, Sheernaly N, Piepenstock F, Steinbrueck A, Bharadwaj K, et al., Metzler-Nolte N. Externally triggered activation of targeted peptide-thiosemicarbazone conjugates via cold atmospheric plasma. Submitted.
Chandana K, Bharadwaj K, et al., Girish YR. Construction of a bimetallic NiFe-PB functionalized with 2D-MoS₂ nano-heterojunction with NIR antibacterial activity. Submitted. Preprint