Jay Dave

Applications of mesenchymal stem cells and nanocarrier for bone tissue engineering

Savitribai Phule Pune University

Hi! Tell us a bit about yourself – what stage of your PhD are you in and what’s your project about?

I’m in third-year of my PhD. My project aims to develop various treatment strategies for bone related disorders. I have already developed a nanocarrier as a therapeutic option for osteoporosis, in which I have tagged parathyroid hormone to hydroxyapatite nanorods for targeted delivery at the site of osteoporosis. Currently, I am working on development of a live graft scaffold integrated with hydroxyapatite as an option for regeneration of the degraded intravertebral disc.

What does a typical day or week look like for you?

None of my weeks or days is same. Some days I just do the literature survey and some days I do my lab work. I also mentor the undergrad students with their project work. Our research group has weekly meeting so we have to discuss our work of the previous week and our plans for the upcoming week. Sometimes, I am just busy doing some administrative jobs at my department such as intending reagents, processing the invoice of procured items…

What’s one thing that you’ve enjoyed the most during your PhD?

I have enjoyed the interacting with a variety of people during my PhD. Working in a University has its advantages and disadvantages. We frequently need to visit research institutes in and around Pune for using some facility or for collaborative research projects. This has helped me to extensively grow my network and work on my interpersonal skills. This has tremendously contributed to my personal growth and overall development as a researcher.

What’s been the most challenging part of it?

The most challenging part of the PhD is to keep myself motivated despite of continuous failures. Many times the experiments do not work at all for days and I do not feel like troubleshooting or repeating them. These are the trying times when a motivational speech helps.

Where do you see yourself 5 years after completing your PhD?

I love my research, doing it and talking about it, so I’d definitely hope to still be involved in research. Therefore, I see myself popularizing my research experiences and inspire others. I plan to do so by being an entrepreneur.

What’s one piece of advice that you’d offer students that are thinking of doing a PhD?

PhD should never be taken as a job, but as a learning experience. Run around, be a child, ready to learn as much as possible. Learn, not only about your research, but also about people around you. Learn, to handle situations. Learn, to be a leader and successfully run a team. This will not only help you to further your research career but will also develop you as a strong, motivated, knowledgeable and successful human being.

What makes your university a good place to study?

The best part about working in a University is that the University set up teaches you a lot. Usually Universities are not as well-equipped as research institutes and therefore, we have to run to various places to get our experiments done. As a result, we do not remain confined to a particular place and interact with a lot of people from various research backgrounds. It improves our networking skills and also teaches us not to give up. However, Pune been a research hub, makes my University the best place to learn.

Lastly, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I enjoy watching movies, web-series, anime, reading and cooling off on the weekends. I also enjoy going out with my friends. Somedays I cook or go on treks.

Want to learn more about Jay?

Connect with him on Twitter, Instagram and ResearchGate, and check out his lab website, journal paper and Google Scholar using the links below: