IMES community profile: Aarti Krishnan
November 25, 2025
Interdisciplinary scientist Aarti Krishnan grew up in India, has studied in Switzerland, and is now a postdoc at the Collins Lab, where she is combining her research interests in computational and experimental approaches to drug discovery.
Mindy Blodgett | IMES
Aarti Krishnan is a postdoc based at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. She is from Southern India, where she received her bachelor's in Bioinformatics. She is working in the Collins Lab, where she is focused on computational and experimental approaches for drug discovery. Read on to learn more about her background and hopes for the future.
What is your academic background?
I’m from southern India, where I received my bachelor’s in Bioinformatics. After that, I moved to Switzerland for my masters and PhD in Computational Biology and Biomedical Sciences.
Why did you want to join the Collins Lab?
I joined MIT in 2021. During my PhD, I worked on parasite metabolism using systems biology, to identify pathways that parasites need to survive and cause infection. I then became interested in how we could use artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate drug discovery against infectious agents. I was fortunate to receive a two-year Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship to do research abroad, and the Collins Lab was the perfect place where I could combine both computational and experimental approaches for drug discovery.
Can you tell us something about your research interests?
As an interdisciplinary scientist, I’m passionate about solving biological problems using complementary approaches. I work at the interface of AI and microbiology, and it has been exciting to see how these fields can inform each other to discover new drugs. Recently, we applied generative AI algorithms to de novo design novel antibiotic candidates, which are now being advanced toward preclinical development. It is rewarding to do science with translational potential.
What do you enjoy about being at MIT?
I enjoy the vibrant scientific environment and all the amazing people I get to interact and work with. I’ve learned a lot from being at MIT and from the resources that are available to support innovative science. It is an inspiring place, and I’m fortunate to be part of this community.
What are you hoping to accomplish with your career? What are your professional goals?
I hope to one day lead my own research lab, where I can mentor and train the next generation of scientists working at the intersection of AI and the life sciences. I believe the future is cross-disciplinary, and I’m excited about all the discoveries we can make with the technologies available to us and combat the antimicrobial resistance crisis.
What is on your bucket list?
I would love to travel the world. I’ve lived and worked on three different continents and have met incredible people from whom I learned so much. I find exploring diverse cultures and learning about the history of different places fascinating.
Can you tell us more about the area where you grew up, what makes it distinctive?
My parents were in the military and we moved very frequently, so I would say I grew up all across India. My brother and I would often change schools, sometimes to very remote places, which was a unique experience. I think it made us quite adaptable!
What do you hope to be doing in 10 years?
I hope to continue doing impactful research, while being able to share the knowledge we gain, and empower the next generation as well, especially young female scientists. We still don’t see enough women represented in science and I hope that by sharing my journey, I can encourage them to stay curious, follow their interests, and feel that they belong in science too.