Mallika Kumar

Background

About Mallika Kumar

As a doctoral candidate nearing the completion of my PhD, I have built over six years of experience in protein biochemistry by leading a project to stabilize the quaternary structure of F1-ATPase. The use of this enzyme is limited by its oligomeric instability which hinders its utility as a nanomotor in biomedical devices. Through my dissertation work, we executed a structure based design and strategically crosslinked its subunits via disulfide linkages, achieving enhancements in stability and ATP binding affinity. I led the biochemical arm of an interdisciplinary effort with geologists, analytical scientists and petroleum engineers to exploit microbial chemistry for reservoir engineering. Across five peer-reviewed papers (>150 citations) we showed that urease-driven CaCO₃ precipitation and acetate/butyrate acidogenesis can re-engineer rock porosity, strength, and permeability, improving hydrocarbon recovery and CO₂ storage security. This work co-founded the field of biogeomechanics and demonstrates my ability to translate atomic-scale enzymology to reservoir-scale applications while steering new scientific directions. Looking ahead, my training as a protein biochemist naturally propels me toward a career in protein engineering and biochemistry. I am passionate about leveraging my expertise in elucidating structure–function relationship of protein complexes to uncover disease mechanisms and guide the design of therapeutics through rigorous target characterization. Key Expertise & Skills: • Biochemical Assay Development and Biophysical Characterizations (e.g. ITC, CD, NanoDSF) • Bacterial and Mammalian Cell Culturing, Microbial Fermentation • Protein Purification (Affinity, IEX, SEC) & Expression (Bacterial and Mammalian) • Python-Based Kinetic Modeling & Data Analysis • Disulfide bond mapping using LC-MS. • Teamwork and Cross-functional Collaboration.