Principal Investigator

Richa Batra, PhD

I am a computational biologist whose work bridges data science, neuroscience, and systems metabolism.

Currently, I am an Associate Professor at Mahindra University, Centre for Life Sciences, Hyderabad, India.

I welcome inquiries from prospective students and researchers interested in computational systems biology of complex diseases. I am committed to training scientists who are fluent across biological and computational domains, capable of rigorous quantitative reasoning, and comfortable operating at disciplinary interfaces. Building such researchers is, in many ways, as important as building new models.

Current Focus

My current research focus is on developing computational frameworks to understand phenotypic heterogeneity in aging, metabolism, neurodegenerative diseases, and pulmonary diseases, with the goal of enabling more precise prediction and treatment of complex diseases.

Academic and Research Background

I earned my Ph.D. in computational biology from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where I developed computational methods to analyze time-lapse, high-throughput, image-based siRNA knockdown screens. My research career has spanned academic and research institutions in Germany, Denmark, and the United States.

My research at the University of Southern Denmark and Helmholtz Munich focused on computational approaches for network-based multi-omics integration and patient stratification in cancer and psychiatric disorders. At Weill Cornell Medicine, I contributed to large-scale initiatives including the Accelerating Medicines Partnership for Alzheimer’s Disease and the Alzheimer’s Gut Microbiome Project. My research included large-scale postmortem brain metabolomics, identification of lipid signatures associated with disease heterogeneity, and characterization of systemic metabolic responses to dietary interventions.

Honors, Awards, and Recognition

2023–2024 | Principal Investigator

Alzheimer's Association AARFD-22-974775 (Batra), Metabolic Trajectories of Alzheimer's Disease Progression

2018–2019 | Team Lead

Technical University of Munich (Eyerich and Theis), Single-cell Analysis enhanced Molecular Diagnostics (SCAMDI)

2009–2012 | Doctoral Fellowship

Heidelberg Graduate School of Mathematical and Computational Methods for the Sciences, University of Heidelberg, Germany

2008 | CSIR Research Fellowship

Awarded to selected students by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India

2007 | All India Rank 120 (top 2%)

National-level examination for admission to Ph.D. programs, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India

2006–2008 | Merit Scholarship

Awarded for academic excellence by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), New Delhi, India

2005 | Best Lecture Award

Manolikar Lecture Competition, MES Abasaheb Garware College, Pune

2004 | Second Prize

Chemiad, University Chemical Society, Department of Chemistry, University of Pune

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