Sujita Khanal, Ph.D.

Sujita Khanal, Ph.D. has a diverse work experience in the field of bioscience. Sujita is currently working as a Scientist in R&D Applications at Agena Bioscience, where they specialize in designing, verifying, and validating panels for testing in the MassArray System. Prior to this, they worked at Abzena as a Scientist II in Virology and Molecular Biology, where they were involved in the development, optimization, and validation of analytical assays for detection of various viruses and DNA.

In their previous roles, Sujita worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, focusing on investigating epigenetic regulators in leukemia for therapeutics and targeting small molecule inhibitors for cancer therapy. Sujita also served as a Postdoctoral Associate in the same institute, spearheading projects related to DNA repair in breast cancer and investigating metastasis.

Before joining Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Sujita worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Fred Hutch, where they studied the mechanisms by which human papillomavirus impair DNA damage repair pathways for targeted therapies in HPV-associated cancers.

Earlier in their career, Sujita worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at KentuckyOne Health, where they discovered biomarkers for the diagnosis of head and neck tumors and identified the association of HPV with oral pre-cancerous lesions. Sujita also served as an M.Sc. Intern at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, investigating the anti-cancer activity of Withaferin A and its effects on cancer cells.

Sujita's first professional experience was as a BSc Intern at Medi-Clinic Pvt. Ltd., where they performed blood diagnostics tests and conducted a project on the effect of physiological parameters on serum uric acid levels in patients suspected of gout.

Sujita Khanal, Ph.D. completed their education in a chronological order. Sujita obtained their Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biochemistry from Purbanchal University between 2003 and 2008. Subsequently, they pursued their Master of Science (MS) in Biochemistry at Jiwaji University from 2009 to 2011. Finally, they attended the University of Louisville from 2012 to 2016, where they earned herself a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.