Charu Balamurugan

Candidates for the Truman Scholarship go through a rigorous, multi-stage selection process. In 2024, there were 709 candidates for the award nominated by 285 colleges and universities. Jagarlamudi was one of 60 students chosen nationwide. Read More

Beckman Scholar Charu Balamurugan, an undergraduate researcher in the Rokas lab at Vanderbilt University, has shed light on the intricate evolutionary patterns governing secondary metabolite biosynthesis in fungi. Balamurugan delved deep into the genomes of Penicillium species, uncovering fascinating insights into the conservation and evolution of biosynthetic gene clusters and associated resistance genes. Read More