Sandhya Manohar

Sandhya Manohar is an SNF Ambizione Fellow and junior group leader at the University of Zürich's Department of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease. She holds a PhD in Chemical Biology from Harvard University (2020), completed postdoctoral research at ETH Zürich as an ETH Fellow, and was awarded the Life Sciences Switzerland PIs of Tomorrow public prize. Her research focuses on cell size regulation, cellular senescence, and genome homeostasis, integrating proteomic, genomic, and cell biological approaches.

Education: B.S. in Biology/Mathematics at New York University; PhD at Harvard under Randy King; postdoc at ETH Zürich under Gabriel Neurohr.

Research interests emphasize how cell size impacts cell cycle progression, DNA damage repair, and senescence. Key findings include the bidirectional relationship between size and senescence, proposing that excess size induces permanent cell cycle arrest. Current projects explore molecular mechanisms linking size to genome stability and drug response in cancer.

Awards include SNSF Ambizione Grant (2024), ETH Career Seed Grant (2023), and ETH Fellowship (2021-2024). Active in science education, particularly outreach to underrepresented groups, and previously taught at Harvard and Emmanuel College.

Labs/Teams: Manohar Lab at UZH focuses on experimental cell biology. Collaborates with Zurich's Cancer Research Center and Life Science Zurich networks. Recruits PhD students via MLS/LSZGS programs and undergraduate researchers directly.