Renuka Kumar, PhD
Scientific Program Leader
Renuka Kumar, PhD
Scientific Program Leader
Renu is in awe of viruses – tiny entities that can create big havoc in a cell and the world. She received her PhD from UC Berkeley with Britt Glaunsinger researching host shut-off in herpesvirus infections and pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Gladstone Institutes with Melanie Ott focused on HCV proteomics and genomics. She has taken a ‘scenic’ path since then – developing antivirals for HBV in industry and leveraging synthetic biology for virology applications at CZ Biohub. Here, Renu is a Scientific Program Manager fostering COVID-related R&D and translating research into products such as viral diagnostics. In her free time Renu loves cooking without recipes, reading novels, and exploring the world through her love of travel.