معرفی
Dr. Yogitha Srikhanta is a Level B postdoctoral researcher and Research Fellow in the Department of Microbiology at Monash University's Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. She leads multiple research projects focusing on bacterial pathogenesis, particularly Clostridioides difficile, and supervises 4 PhD students. Her work contributes to Sustainable Development Goals related to good health and well-being.
Dr. Srikhanta's educational background includes:
- PhD from the University of Queensland (2007), supervised by Prof. Michael Jennings
Her research interests focus on the genetic and molecular basis of bacterial pathogenesis, with particular expertise in epigenetic-mediated gene regulation, virulence gene characterization, novel vaccine candidates, and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. She is recognized as a world leader in bacterial epigenetics, having been the first to report on a novel bacterial epigenetic regulator during her PhD studies. Her current work primarily investigates C. difficile sporulation and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with significant contributions to understanding how epigenetic mechanisms regulate virulence in gut pathogens.
Dr. Srikhanta's publication record demonstrates consistent high-impact contributions to microbiology, with work appearing in journals such as Nature Microbiology, Nature Communications, and PNAS. Her research shows a clear trajectory from fundamental bacterial epigenetics to translational applications in combating antibiotic-resistant infections, particularly focusing on C. difficile. Recent work has explored cephamycin-based antisporulation agents and multi-omics approaches to understanding hospital-acquired diarrheal diseases.
Her scientific recognition includes:
- Fellow of the Australian Society for Microbiology (2014)
- Griffith University Postdoctoral Fellowship (2009)
- Monash Emerging Academic Leaders Program (2018)
- Multiple Monash Platform Access Grants
Dr. Srikhanta actively contributes to the academic community through research supervision, peer review activities (including for NHMRC and ARC), and professional service. She currently leads or participates in multiple research projects, including "The role of microbial interactions in controlling bacterial evolution" (2025-2027) and "The role of host proteases in exacerbating enteric infectious disease" (2021-2024). Her laboratory work focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of bacterial sporulation and antibiotic resistance, with the goal of developing novel therapeutic approaches against difficult-to-treat bacterial infections.
