Utkarsh Saraswat

Utkarsh

I am a coding enthusiast and I love simulating real life problems into a computer program. I joined MLab in 2017 as part of an undergraduate research project. The initial task allotted to me was to do literature analysis of TFM (Traction force Microscopy) and FTTC (Fourier Transform Traction Cytometry). Based on the analysis I was asked to come up with a way to calculate Traction forces in non-Hookean elastic systems. It took effort to go through all the research papers/journals and to reverse engineer the existing MATLAB code and use it for our computations. Once this task was done, I was given two more key tasks of 1) Find relation of depth sensitivity in a substrate with it’s Modulus of elasticity, average stress on the surface and average displacement of the surface. 2) Calculate traction force when two cells are present on a substrate and it’s dependency with inter-cellular distance. I worked in MLab for over an year and  had many ups and downs in my progress, but Prof Majumder always kept me motivated and his guidance and immense knowledge helped me to sort out most of the issues. I learned a lot about various aspects of cell mechanics, Cytometry and academic research in general. Prof Majumder and other lab members I worked with, including Akshada, Pankaj, Nehal were really helpful throughout my journey. I feel very fortunate to have worked with you all!

 

Currently I am working in a software firm but I am looking forward to further pursue research where I can apply my coding skill to other areas of my interests and carry forward the research work I had during my undergraduate studies