After completing my undergraduate degree in Agriculture, I went on to earn my Master’s in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), Coimbatore. Throughout my academic journey, I have had the honour of receiving competitive awards, including the Bayer Foundation Fellowship – MEDHA 2023 and the Khorana Scholarship 2024, which funded my research internship on developing the plant elicitor peptides as an antifungal agent at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, USA. My research interests centre around molecular plant-microbe interactions, particularly in fungal pathogen virulence and plant immunity. My experiences have deepened my curiosity to explore more about plant-pathogen coevolution. Working as a Graduate Trainee in Dr. Amey Redkar’s Root Microbiology Lab at the NCBS, Bangalore helps to contribute to research that could deepen our understanding of these relationships and potentially impact sustainable agriculture.