NAME – AASTHA KHIWANI
HOMETOWN- BATHINDA,PUNJAB
GRADUATE SCHOOL – GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY, AMRITSAR
EMAIL- khiwaniaastha25@gmail.com

How would you explain your research in 3 sentences to someone who is not in science?

I’m researching the effect of exercise on retinal dysfunction and associated learning in the laser-induced neovascular Age-related macular degeneration mice model.

More about you?

I am a passionate Science enthusiast with a deep interest in neuroscience and its ever-evolving discoveries. With a relentless curiosity, I enjoy exploring new protocols and refining experimental approaches. My journey in the deep quest for science began as a trainee at CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad, where I gained hands-on experience in research techniques. Building on this foundation, I went on to work as a Project Junior Research Fellow in the Department of Biochemistry at PGIMER, Chandigarh. After working for over a year, I decided to pursue a PhD so that I can make meaningful contributions to the scientific community. When not doing Science, I love to experiment with new food recipes, dance my heart out aloud, and find joy in exploring shopping as a therapeutic escape.

About your work

My PhD research is primarily focused on studying the effect of physical activity on retinal degeneration and associated learning capacity in the wet AMD mouse model by utilizing molecular and neurobehavioral assessments.