Sabari Sankar Thirupathy

Dr. Sabari Sankar Thirupathy serves as Assistant Professor Grade I in the School of Biology at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Thiruvananthapuram since June 2017. His research program investigates fundamental mechanisms of mutagenesis with implications for genome stability, evolution, and antibiotic resistance using bacterial model systems.

• Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat) 2008, Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany
• M.Sc. 2003, Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamilnadu, India
• B.Sc. 2001, The American College, Madurai Kamaraj University, Tamilnadu, India

Dr. Thirupathy's research centers on replication-transcription conflicts as primary drivers of genomic instability and spontaneous mutations. His lab employs integrated approaches combining bacterial genetics, molecular biology, experimental evolution, and next-generation sequencing to dissect how collisions between replication and transcription machineries cause mutagenesis in rapidly dividing cells. This work provides critical insights into evolutionary processes, antibiotic resistance development, and disease mechanisms.

His publication record (2009-2020) reveals a consistent trajectory from characterizing specific bacterial operons to elucidating universal mechanisms of mutation induction. Key themes include replication-transcription collision dynamics, mutagenesis pathways in Escherichia coli, and evolutionary implications of genomic instability, with high-impact contributions in journals like Nature and PLOS Genetics.

Major recognitions include the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Intermediate Fellowship (2018), Best Poster Award at the 2016 Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages Meeting, and multiple prestigious fellowships during his doctoral and postdoctoral training.

• Current advisees: 3 Integrated PhD students (including 2 Prime Minister's Research Fellows) and 6 Master's students
• Active funding: DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Basic Biomedical Research Intermediate Fellowship
• Past mentorship: 6 undergraduate research projects (2019-2021) and Junior Research Fellow

He leads The Mutations Lab at IISER TVM, which maintains specialized bacterial genetics and molecular biology facilities for studying replication-transcription conflicts. The team collaborates internationally with institutions including University of Wisconsin-Madison and Baylor College of Medicine, focusing on how collision-induced genomic instability drives evolutionary adaptation and antibiotic resistance.