Administration
Dr. Linda Koshy
Lead operations officer
Dr. Linda Koshy is a scientist with over 12 years of research experience in the field of Human Molecular Genetics and public health. Her research interests span complex and Mendelian disease epidemiology, pharmacogenomics, stem cell biology, epigenetics and microRNA biology. She has completed research projects on Next-Generation Sequencing in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and was instrumental in initiating the first Heart Failure Biobank in India, at the ICMR Centre for Excellence in Advanced Research in Heart Failure at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Trivandrum, Kerala. She has received research grant as Principal Investigator, from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) Project under the Fast-Track Young Scientists Scheme of the Department of Science and technology (DST), Govt. of India, to elucidate the role of SNPs in microRNA binding sites in 3’UTRs of target candidate genes influencing blood pressure. As Co-PI in a project funded by the Cardiology Society of India, she proposed an algorithm based on genetic polymorphisms to calculate the maintenance dose of oral Vitamin K antagonist required in a South Indian population who need prosthetic heart valves. During her postdoctoral studies at Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, identified the brain-specific Fatty Acid Binding Protein 7 (FABP-7) as a biomarker of glioma stem cells which can be used for prognostication. She holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Trivandrum, India, where she focused on identifying genetic and other risk factors associated with intracranial aneurysms in South Indian population. She completed her Master’s at the Cochin University of Science & Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India. She has authored or co-authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications that include original articles, systematic/scoping reviews, meta-analysis, book chapter and case-reports.
Ms. Suvarna Oommen
Relationships Manager
Ms. Suvarna Oommen boasts an impressive career spanning over twenty-two years at the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi. She holds an MPhil in Education from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Patna University, Bihar, where she graduated with first rank. Ms. Oommen has excellent communication skills in both English and Hindi. Her main responsibilities are to develop and promote networking and outreach activities of the PRF, and provide assistance on HR and logistic issues.