Department of
Biology

Nishad is an alumnus of St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. After completing his PhD he took up an independent research position at IISER Pune, as a DST-INSPIRE Faculty Fellow. He transitioned to Assistant Professor and DBT-Wellcome Intermediate Fellow in January 2021 at IISER Pune.

Research

Evolution and Genetics of Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacteria poses a major threat to human health. The evolution and spread of AMR, particularly among Gram-negatives, is threatening to reverse half a century of advance in the biomedical sciences. Understanding how AMR evolves is crucial to dealing with this impending pandemic.

Nishad's research focuses on de-convoluting the logic of AMR genetics at mechanistic and evolutionary levels. Using laboratory evolution, genomics and biochemistry, Nishad is attempting to understand why certain mutations or combinations of mutations are more prevalent than others in drug-resistant bacteria.

Eventually Nishad's research hopes to identify strategies for identifying evolution-proof drug combinations.

Selected Publications

Jena Chinmaya, Deolankar Soham, Matange Nishad (2025). Alternate genetic paths of adaptation to spectinomycin in Escherichia coli, Genetics, Volume 231, Issue 3, November 2025, iyaf069. https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/iyaf069

Balachandran Manasvi, Chatterjee Rohini, Chaudhary Ishaan, Jena Chinmaya, Matange Nishad (2025). Impeding pathways of intrinsic resistance in Escherichia coli confers antibiotic sensitization and resistance proofing. PLOS Biology 23(10): e3003443. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003443

Jena Chinmaya, Chinnaraj Saillesh, Deolankar Soham, Matange Nishad (2025). Proteostasis modulates gene dosage evolution in antibiotic-resistant bacteria eLife 13:RP99785 https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.99785.3

Vinchhi Rhea, Yelpure Chetna, Balachandran Manasvi, Matange Nishad (2023). Pervasive gene deregulation underlies adaptation and maladaptation in trimethoprim-resistant E. coli. mBio14:e0211923. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.02119-23BC

Patel Vishwa, Matange Nishad (2021). Adaptation and compensation in a bacterial gene regulatory network evolving under antibiotic selection eLife 10:e70931 https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.70931