Dr. Smitha Maretvadakethope

Biography

I am a curiosity-driven researcher passionate about uncovering fundamental principles underpinning multiscale active dynamical biological systems, ranging from gene regulation to ciliary dynamics and dynamics of active swimming microorganism suspensions. My work utilizes a versatile toolkit of mathematical and computational methods, with a specialization in stochastic methods and stability theory. I investigate factors that control collective dynamics at various levels, including suspension dynamics of swimming microorganisms, organelle dynamics like flagella and cilia, and timing dynamics of gene regulatory networks. I completed my higher education at Imperial College London, obtaining a BSc in Mathematics, an MSc in Applied Mathematics, and a PhD in Mathematics, with a thesis on the “Synchronization dynamics model of cilia and flagella.” I later joined the University of Liverpool as a postdoc, where I studied the effects of shape, shear, and diffusion on microswimmer suspension dynamics. Currently, at Imperial, I am utilizing synthetic tipping points to reveal rules governing gene critical timers in the context of bacterial cell-autonomous clocks and differentiation transitions during embryonic development. I am particularly interested in exploring coexisting critical points that control timing dynamics in the presence of static, intrinsic, and extrinsic noise. In addition to research, I co-chair the early career researcher team lead for the UK-based Bioactive Fluids special interest group and actively engage in science communication and outreach activities to improve representation of women in STEM. I'm dedicated to collaborating across disciplines and enjoy supervising research students as part of Imperial's UROP scheme.

Research Interests

Experience