Dr.Karthika S
Scientist
karthika.6110003@kerala.gov.in/
karthikascoem@gmail.com
Dr.Karthika has research interests spanning the human microbiome, with an emphasison gut metagenome mining and probiotic product development.She earned Ph.D. from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (BRIC-RGCB), Govt. of India, where her work focused on bacterial pathogenesis, biofilm formation, and alternative strategies to control antimicrobial resistance.She has also developed microbial consortia relevant to the coir industry.Her post-doctoral researchfocused on developing human-origin potential probiotic strains capable of producing urolithins, which are gut microbiota-derived metabolites known for their multifaceted health-promoting properties. During her CSIR-Research Associate tenure, she investigated changes in gut microbial diversity pattern in healthy population during interventions via targeted and shotgun metagenomics and focused on gut microbiota derived metabolites.She has expertise in metagenomics and big data analysis.
Dr.Karthika joined the Centre of Excellence in Microbiome as a Scientist in January 2025. She is engaged in identifying microbial biomarkers associated with major gastric associated and life style disorders to address health concerns, treatment efficacy and explore prospects for translational microbiota-based therapies. She also focuses on the fermented food microbiome, development of probiotic products, and starter cultures for health benefits. Additionally, she is interested in collaborative projects focused on formulating beneficial microbial consortia for industrial applications.