Nanotechnology, as a field, has always attracted Aradhana right from her high school days. She believes that her penchant for this field stems from attending a talk rendered by Professor CNR Rao, one of the pioneers in Nanotechnology. Aradhana was so fascinated by the cutting-edge research going in this field it led her to choose Medical Nanotechnology for her graduate studies. She completed her M.Tech Integrated course from SASTRA University, India, in 2015.
Her belief that the sphere of learning extends beyond a textbook drove her towards paper presentations, seminars, and conferences. These forums enhanced her understanding of concepts and encouraged thinking and questioning, hence adding a new dimension to her knowledge. Always on the lookout for more opportunities to gain practical experience, Aradhana underwent hands-on training in Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles and its Antibacterial Applications from Biolim Centre for Life Sciences, Chennai, which exposed her to different characterization techniques such as XRD, SEM, and TEM in 2013. A desire to explore the different avenues in biology induced her to complete a certificate course in Clinical Microbiology.
As the curriculum limits do not bound a good student, Aradhana has always endeavored to be involved in research activities outside the University. One of the exciting opportunities in her career was when she was selected for the reputed Indian Academy of Sciences Summer Research Fellowship in 2014 under Dr.Ilora Ghosh at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India. She compared the growth characteristics and induction of apoptosis in normal and HABP1 overexpressing murine fibroblast cell lines through which she has gained exposure to Mammalian cell culture techniques and several cytotoxicity assays.
Her research narrowed down to a particular lane in the field of nano-based drug delivery systems for cancer treatment. This happened mainly due to the project work that she carried out at SASTRA University in the Synthesis and Characterization of Zinc oxide, Cerium oxide, and Titanium dioxide nanoparticles for use in Photodynamic therapy. She was then awarded the Desh Videsh Scholarship from the university to complete her Master Thesis at the University of Barcelona in the Synthesis and Characterization of imidazolium and pyridinium salts on Polysilicon surfaces as potential carriers for Photodynamic therapy.
Following her Post Graduation, with curiosity about how start-ups function, she joined EinNel Technologies, Chennai, and explored the possibilities of computer-aided drug design. Aradhana was involved in writing articles and abstracts for various national and international conferences. After this, she has co-founded a start-up, Smaluet Solutions, and worked on the ideation and product development of two devices using Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning. One, named Smart Breath Regulator to regulate breath and reduce stress levels using Pranayama techniques, and the other Smart Dog trainer Kit, which will train dogs using Positive reinforcement. She has also filed patents on the ideas.
She was awarded the Technology Innovation Fellowship, Kerala Startup Mission, a technology incubator under the Government of Kerala for a period of 15 months. She was responsible for the evangelization of Nanotechnology and Biotechnology in Kerala. She was also responsible for conducting various events to create awareness of entrepreneurship among University Students. During her tenure at Kerala Startup Mission, she also enrolled in a Bio-fabrication course organized by MIT, Centre for Bits and Atoms, the USA, to enhance her knowledge of How to Grow Almost Anything.
After her exposure to entrepreneurship for more than two years, she found her passion in Nanotechnology and started scientific writing in Nanotechnology.