Shivam Kumar is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam, working within the MetaHealth project. Originally from Ramgarh, Jharkhand, India, Shivam completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics at IISER Tirupati, where he developed a strong interest in Complex Systems and Computational Biology.
During his studies, Shivam became fascinated with the power of computational approaches to uncover patterns in biological systems. As part of the 2021 IISER Tirupati iGEM team, he contributed to mathematical modeling and helped develop the project’s wiki, focusing on a synthetic biology-based contraceptive. This experience solidified his passion for exploring how computational models can be applied to real-world biological challenges.
Currently, as a PhD student, Shivam’s research focuses on the development of the human microbiome during the first 1000 days of life, investigating how early microbiome colonization influences long-term health outcomes. His work integrates multiscale spatiotemporal modeling to understand microbiome dynamics across different scales, utilizing tools like network analysis and data science. Shivam’s broader research interests include computational biology, systems modeling, and the intersection of biology and data science.