Priyanka Joshi


Priyanka Joshi is a biochemist who is an Everitt Butterfield research fellow at Downing College, Cambridge. She works at the university's Centre for Misfolding Diseases, studying the metabolic precursors which influence the aggregation of proteins such as amyloid beta which are thought to cause Alzheimer's disease. In 2018, she was listed in the Forbes "30 under 30" list of innovators in science and healthcare and the Vogue 25 list of influential women in Britain.

Early life and education

Joshi was born in Dehli, India in 1989. She studied for a BSc followed by an MSc in Biotechnology at Savitribai Phule Pune University before gaining a PhD at the University of Cambridge in Chemistry. She was awarded the Salje medal for Best PhD in Science by Clare Hall, Cambridge in 2015.

Career

During her PhD, Joshi created a library of small molecules which were the starting point for a drug screening program at the Centre for Misfolding Diseases, University of Cambridge.
Following completion of her PhD, Joshi continued her research at the University of Cambridge as a postdoctoral research fellow of Downing College. There she worked on small molecules in the body, such as metabolites, and their potential role in preventing protein aggregation in the brain.
Following her inclusion in the Forbes "30 under 30" list in 2018, she was selected to be a judge for the 30 Under 30 Europe 2020: Innovators In Science And Health list.
Joshi has also been involved in public engagement work with school students in India. She helped create the Science Outreach to Schools initiative which has run workshops on science experiments for students.

Awards and honours