Smitha Maretvadakethope

Smitha Maretvadakethope is a Research Fellow in Theoretical Systems Biology at Imperial College London's Department of Life Sciences, within the Faculty of Natural Sciences. She holds a PhD in Mathematics from Imperial College London and has a multidisciplinary background spanning applied mathematics, fluid dynamics, and systems biology. Her research focuses on multiscale biological systems, using stochastic methods and stability theory to investigate collective dynamics across scales—from gene expression to microorganism suspensions.

Education:

• PhD in Mathematics, Imperial College London (UK)
• MRes in Fluid Dynamics Across Scales, Imperial College London
• MSc in Applied Mathematics, Imperial College London
• BSc in Mathematics, Imperial College London

Research Interests:
Her work integrates computational fluid dynamics, biophysical modelling, and synthetic biology. Key areas include synchronization in ciliary dynamics, microswimmer suspensions, and gene regulatory networks. She explores how noise and critical transitions influence biological timing mechanisms in developmental systems.

Professional Activities:
As co-chair of the UK Bioactive Fluids Special Interest Group, she leads an ECR-only seminar series. She is also involved in Imperial's postdoctoral committee, organizing outreach and funding initiatives. Smitha actively participates in science communication initiatives like Pint of Science and supervises research students through the UROP program.

Scientific Contributions:
Her recent work examines critical slowing-down phenomena in biological systems and hydrodynamic interactions in microswimmer suspensions. Findings bridge mathematical theory with experimental observations in cell biology and fluid mechanics.