Meet Koustav Bhakta

Koustav Bhakta

At TU Delft, I will be working on cell division proteins from mesophilic marine archaea to understand how they drive archaeal cell division. A longer-term goal of the project is to use these components to build a synthetic cell.

Hi there, my name is Koustav. I joined the EVOLF consortium as a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Cees Dekker’s lab at TU Delft. My training is in cellular and molecular biology (Master’s), followed by a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Bose Institute in Kolkata, India. During my Ph.D., I studied protein folding and heat shock proteins in hyperthermophilic archaea, focusing on how their chaperone machinery works and helps protect proteins under stress. After that, I moved to the US for a postdoc at UCSF, where I looked at how intracellular human pathogens manipulate host cells by targeting a particular heat shock protein, ultimately stalling translation.

At TU Delft, I will be working on cell division proteins from mesophilic marine archaea to understand how they drive archaeal cell division. A longer-term goal of the project is to use these components to build a synthetic cell. I wish to bring my background in protein biochemistry and archaeal biology and contribute towards the effort of building a synthetic cell.

Outside the lab, I enjoy making digital illustrations and portraits, playing table tennis, and cooking. I also love snow treks whenever I get the chance.