Meet the Lab Team
Principal Investigator
Sumit Kumar Hira, PhD
✉ skhira@zoo.buruniv.ac.in
Founder and Principal Investigator of the Cellular Immunology Laboratory (CIL), Department of Zoology, The University of Burdwan. He leads the laboratory’s research program and mentors a multidisciplinary research team, develops translational research programs and builds collaborations connecting basic cellular immunology with clinically relevant cancer biology. His continuing vision is to develop the Cellular Immunology Laboratory as a platform for discovering mechanism-driven, immune-based therapies against cancer.
PhD Students
Samrat Daripa, CSIR-NET-SRF
Arghya Nath, ICMR Research Scientist-B (Non-Medical)
Soumi Roy, CSIR-NET LS
Pratima Maity, Research Scholar, UGC-NET SRF
Samrat Daripa is a Ph.D. scholar in the Department of Zoology at the University of Burdwan. His research focuses on the epigenetic mechanisms driving T cell exhaustion in colon cancer. His research integrates single-cell transcriptomic and epigenomic approaches to understand how altered nucleotide metabolism drives immune dysfunction, with the goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets. He completed his M.Sc. in Zoology from Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University and his B.Sc. from Bankura Sammilani College, University of Burdwan. He has qualified CSIR-NET JRF and GATE in Life Sciences. Outside research, Samrat enjoys playing cricket and has represented his school and district cricket teams at the under-16 and under-19 levels.
Epigenetics & Lymphoid Development
Computational Biology Lead
Pratima Maity, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Calcutta, currently pursuing Ph.D. with a focus on Russell’s viper venom and its influence on immune responses. My research explores the biochemical and immunological mechanisms underlying venom-induced effects, aiming to contribute to improved therapeutic strategies for envenomation.And currently collaborating with Dr. Sumit Kumar Hira’s laboratory at the University of Burdwan to advance my research through interdisciplinary approaches in toxinology and immunology.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Rajendra Kr Roy (ICMR Research Scientist)
✉ rajendrakrroy.rr@gmail.com
Rajendra Kr Roy is an ICMR Research Scientist at Cellular Immunology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, The University of Burdwan, specializing in Antimicrobial immunomodulatory peptides, Omics, and Molecular Biology. He has submitted his PhD thesis in 2025 and published nine peer-reviewed articles. He secured top national ranks in CSIR UGC NET—AIR 28 (June 2018 LS), AIR 77 (Dec 2018 LS), and AIR 39 (June 2019 JRF)—and qualified GATE 2020. With six years of research experience, including UGC-JRF/SRF and an ICAR-CRIJAF internship, he has received multiple Best Presentation Awards (State and National levels) and was selected for an early career talk by the Microbiology Society (UK).
Dr. Dr Somlata Khamaru (Postdoctoral scholar)
✉ riakhamaru@gmail.com
Motivated recent PhD graduate in Cellular Immunology from the National Institute of Science Education and Research with a strong foundation in microbiology, cancer biology and immunology. Recently joined Dr Sumit Hira's lab at the University of Burdwan as a postdoctoral researcher focusing on cell-based immunotherapies against different cancer types.
Lab Management
Vaccant
✉ theskhlab@gmail.com
PhDs
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Dr. Ankush Paladhi
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Dr. Abhinandan Rej
Postdocs
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Dr. Pratek Srivastava, PhD BHU
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Mr. Subhasish Ghosh, M.Sc, Chemistry, UoB (Project Fellow 2018-2021)
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Mr. Gopal Pain, NSU (Project Assistant 2020-2021)
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Mr. Sk Golam Mortuja, M.Sc, Zoology, UoB (Interns 2017)
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Mis. Poulami Roy, M.Sc, Zoology, UoB (Intern 2017)
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Ms. Manshi Kaushik, M.Sc, Biotech, UoB (Intern 2020)
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Mis. Anannya Banerjee, M.Sc. Biotech. BIMS (Intern 2022)
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Ms. Debatri Chatterje, M.Sc, MBHG, UoB (Intern 2022)
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Mr. Arif Uj Jaman, M.Tech. IIT-KGP (Intern 2022)
Project Fellow/Interns
Interns
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Srimanta Bandyopadhyay — MBBS Student ✉ sbandyo05@gmail.com