Nikhita Puthuveetil
About Nikhita Puthuveetil
Nikhita Puthuveetil is a bioinformatician at ATCC in Manassas, Virginia, with expertise in next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics tools. She holds a Master of Science in Bioinformatics from Virginia Commonwealth University and has developed significant pipelines for RNA virus assembly.
Work at ATCC
Nikhita Puthuveetil has been employed at ATCC as a Bioinformatician since 2020. In this role, she has contributed to the development of bioinformatics pipelines and tools for viral research. Her work includes the creation of a next-generation sequencing (NGS) viral pipeline that utilizes Bash and Python scripts, specifically designed for assembling RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV2. Prior to her current position, she worked as an Associate Biologist Intern at ATCC for two months in 2019, where she gained valuable experience in the field.
Education and Expertise
Nikhita Puthuveetil holds a Master of Science (MS) in Bioinformatics from Virginia Commonwealth University, which she completed in 2020. Her educational background also includes a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Bioinformatics from the same institution, obtained in 2019. During her studies, she developed expertise in bioinformatics tools and methodologies, which she applies in her professional work.
Background
Nikhita Puthuveetil began her academic journey in Bioinformatics at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she completed her undergraduate studies from 2015 to 2019. Following her bachelor's degree, she pursued a master's degree in the same field, completing it in 2020. Her early career included a position as a Research Assistant in the Singh Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University for four months in 2019, where she gained hands-on experience in bioinformatics research.
Technical Skills and Tools
Nikhita Puthuveetil has developed a range of technical skills in bioinformatics. She has created an R Shiny dashboard to monitor sequencing and assembly processes of whole genome sequencing (WGS) samples. Additionally, she has utilized various bioinformatics tools, including SPAdes, unicycler, minimap2, and IRMA, for both de novo and reference-based assembly of viral samples, plasmids, and amplicons. Her proficiency in these tools enhances her ability to contribute to viral genomics research.