Academic Profile
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Dr. Manjari Jonnalagadda
(Assistant Professor)
Anthropology
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manjari.jonnalagadda@ssla.edu.in
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Research Profiles
Teaching Philosophy
Her teaching philosophy emphasizes experiential and problem-solving approaches to learning, integrating field-based experiences with cross-disciplinary frameworks. She views the classroom as a collaborative space where educators and students actively engage in shared knowledge creation, encouraging critical thinking, participation, and real-world application of concepts.
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Bio
Dr. Manjari Jonnalagadda is a molecular anthropologist specializing in the evolution of complex traits in Indian populations. Her research integrates phenotypic, genetic, and evolutionary approaches, with a primary focus on skin pigmentation, population structure, and health-related genetic variation. Her work highlights the role of endogamy and genetic variants over natural selection in shaping pigmentation diversity across Indian populations.
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Achievement
- Invited as a Reviewer for manuscripts submitted to PLoS ONE, Scientific Reports, and the Journal of Human Genomics.
- Invited Speaker at the INBIX-ADNAT 2024 international scientific conference titled “Integrating Archaeogenetics, Forensics & Multi-omics for Human Health Breakthrough”, organized by Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Delivered a talk titled “Fair & Lovely or Dark & Beautiful: Exploring Skin Pigmentation Diversity in India”, and also served as a Poster Evaluator at the conference.
- Invited Speaker at SSLA’s Research Colloquium, where she discussed methodological challenges in studying skin pigmentation diversity in South Asia, emphasizing the limitations of applying Eurocentric genetic models to Indian contexts.
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Publications
- Jonnalagadda, M. Phenotypic and genotypic variation in skin pigmentation among Indian populations.
- Jonnalagadda, M. Genome-wide association studies on skin pigmentation diversity in Indians.
- Jonnalagadda, M. Role of SLC24A5 in skin pigmentation variation in West Maharashtra.
- Jonnalagadda, M. MC1R gene diversity and pigmentation variation among caste and tribal populations.
- Jonnalagadda, M. Skin pigmentation and vitamin D metabolism in Indian populations.
- Jonnalagadda, M. Pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine in Indian populations.
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Education
- PhD (Doctoral Research): Focused on phenotypic and genotypic variation in skin pigmentation among caste and tribal populations of West Maharashtra Supported by the Women Scientist-A Grant, DST (Government of India)
- Post-Doctoral Research: University of Toronto, Canada Focused on whole-genome approaches to study the genetic architecture of skin pigmentation in Indian populations using GWAS
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Research Interests
- Evolution of complex traits in Indian populations
- Evolution of complex traits in Indian populations
- Skin pigmentation diversity and population structure
- Genetic and phenotypic variation across caste and tribal groups
- Genome-wide association studies (GWAS)
- Role of pigmentation genes (e.g., SLC24A5, MC1R)
- Skin pigmentation and vitamin D metabolism
- Genetic basis of vitamin D deficiency in Indian populations
- Personalized medicine and pharmacogenomics
- Genes involved in drug metabolism
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Awards & Fellowships
- Women Scientist-A Grant, Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India
- Early Career Research Award (ECRA), SERB, Government of India
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Courses Taught
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