Building the Things Nobody Teaches You

thelabostory.com started from a simple frustration: the most important parts of any career built on knowledge - writing a proposal that actually gets funded, figuring out how the system really works from the inside, finding someone who just gets it — nobody teaches you any of that. You mostly learn by failing first.

That's what this platform is trying to fix, and at the heart of it is the podcast.

The Labo Story Podcast gets into the human side of a life spent chasing ideas - the messy parts people don't usually talk about. It's not only for scientists and researchers; the conversations reach across academia and beyond it, to filmmakers, artists, writers, educators, and anyone who has built a path out of curiosity and conviction. It's the reason everything else here exists, and the mission behind it is simple: keeping honest, practical support free and accessible to everyone. You can find that same spirit of honest communication on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube too.

If you have work worth building - and a story worth telling - this place was made for you.

Meet the Founder

I am a molecular biologist, bioinformatician, and science communicator with over sixteen years of international research experience. Throughout my academic career, I have worked at leading research institutions across three continents, including Saint Louis University (USA), Purdue University (USA), the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), the Institute of Microbiology (Czech Republic), the University of Tübingen (Germany), and Banaras Hindu University (India).

I have been awarded prestigious international fellowships, including the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholarship. My scientific contributions include 29+ peer-reviewed publications with over 700 citations, spanning photobiology, biotechnology, and photosynthetic energy transfer

Complete list of publications

  • Google scholar metrics (May 2026); Citations: 757

  • First author; Shared first author: 16+1

  • Corresponding author, Shared corresponding author: 4+1

Key publications

  • Phadkule et al. (2025). Photosynthesis Research, 29, 164-179.

  • Grechishnikov et al. (2024). Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 15, 9456–9465.

  • Skotnicová et al. (2023). New Phytologist, 41, 1236-1249.

  • Srivastava et al. (2021). Journal of Chemical Physics, 155, 151102.

  • Srivastava et al. (2020). Bio-Protocol, 10, e3528.

  • Rai et al. (2018). Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 01787-18.

  • Srivastava et al. (2017). Plant and Cell Physiology, 58, 287-297.

Other scientific articles

  • Srivastava et al. (2025). BMC Blue Biotechnology, 2, 22.

  • Srivastava et al. (2025). World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 41, 1-19.

  • Kakkar et al. (2024). Heliyon, e34333.

  • Tyagi et al. (2023). Current Protein & Peptide Science, 24, 95-106.

  • Babele et al. (2023). Trends in Microbiology, 31, 1118-1130.

  • Kumar et al. (2023). Microbial Bioprocesses. Elsevier, 67-77.

  • Babele et al. (2023). Trends in Biotechnology, 5, 701-713.

  • Srivastava et al. (2022). Nature Nanotechnology, 17, 1046–1047.

  • Srivastava et al. (2022). Current Reviews in Biotechnology, 44, 63-77.

  • Srivastava et al. (2022). Bioresource Technology, 352, 127071.

  • Srivastava et al. (2022). Protein & Peptide Letters, 29.

  • Chakdar et al. (2022). Journal of Hazardous Materials, 424, 127609.

  • Pathania et al. (2022). Bioresource Technology, 343, 126007.

  • Kalwani et al. (2022). Chemosphere, 287, 132107.

  • Srivastava et al. (2021). Trends in Biotechnology, 40, 4-7.

  • Srivastava et al. (2020). Trends in Microbiology, 29, 266-277.

  • Srivastava et al. (2020). Springer, Singapore, 183-198.

  • Srivastava et al. (2020). Trends in Genetics, 37, 211-215.

  • Srivastava et al. (2020). Biotechnology Advances, 40, 107517.

  • Srivastava et al. (2017). IGI Global, Pennsylvania, 104-119.

  • Trivedi et al. (2016). Research & Reviews: Journal of Botanical Sciences, 5, 16-19.

  • Singh et al. (2013). Springer, New York, 271-283.

Manuscripts Under Preparation/Review

  • Srivastava et al. (2026). Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, Revision 2 stage (Corresponding author).

Theses

  • Srivastava A (2017). Doctoral thesis. Banaras Hindu University, India. 

  • Srivastava A (2010). Master’s thesis. Banaras Hindu University, India.

Short CV

Professional experience

  • Founder, thelabostory.com , Czech Republic, EU region (2026)

  • Research Scientist, Saint Louis University, USA (2026-2026)

  • Associate Scientist, Centre Algatech, Czech Republic (2024-2025)

  • Postdoctoral researcher, University of Jyväskylä, Finland (2022-2024)

  • Postdoctoral researcher, Purdue University, USA (2020-2022)

  • Postdoctoral researcher, Centre Algatech, Czech Republic (2017- 2020)

Education

  • Ph.D. in Plant biotechnology, Banaras Hindu University, India (2011-2018)

  • M.Sc. in Plant biotechnology, Banaras Hindu University, India (2008-2010, 1st class)

  • B.Sc. in Biotechnology, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, India (2005-2008, 1st class)

  • Intermediate (XI) in Biology, Central Board of Secondary Education, India (2002-2003, 1st class)

  • High School (X) in Science, Central Board of Secondary Education, India (2000-2001, 1st class)

Personal research funding and grants

  • MSCA-PF by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Horizon Europe), European commission;  Funding: 215,534 €; University of Jyväskylä (Finland); 24 months  (07/09/2022-31/08/2024).

  • DAAD Scholarship by German Academic Exchange Services; Funding: 30,000 €; University of Tübingen (Germany); 24 months (01/10/2013-30/09/2015).

  • Junior Research Fellowship by Department of Science and Technology, Government of India; Funding: 720,000 INR; Banaras Hindu University and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (India); 31 months (01/03/2011-31/05/2013).

Awards and honors

  • MSCA-PF by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Horizon Europe), European commission (2022)

  • Seal of excellence, Horizon Europe, European commission (2022)

  • Short travel grant (1,000 €) to visit the University in Jyväskylä, Finland (2021)

  • Best review article award (1,600 €), Czech Academy of Science (2020)

  • Best poster prize in the Gordon Research Conference (Photosynthesis), Newry, USA.

  • DAAD scholarship, German Academic Exchange Service, Germany (2019)

  • Research fellowship in sciences for meritorious students, Government of India (2013, not used).

  • Junior research fellowship by the Government of India (2010)

  • First rank in M.Sc. Plant biotechnology, Banaras Hindu University, India (2010)

National (Indian) eligibility tests - NET

  • GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering), India (2010)

  • ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), India (2010)

  • CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), India (2009)

Editorial roles

  • Bio-protocol Peer Reviewer Board (2025)

  • Community Editor. Frontiers in Plant Sciences (Plant Metabolism and Chemodiversity, 2021).

  • Community Editor. Frontiers in Microbiology (Microbiotechnology, 2021).

Peer Review (35 reviews, 15 journals)

npj Science of Plants (1), FEMS Microbes (1), Chemical and Biological Technologies in Agriculture (1), PeerJ (1), Frontiers in Bioeng Biotechnol (2), Front Microbiol (11), Front Plant Sci (7), Appl Sci (1), 3 Biotech (1), Arch. Microbiol. (1), Sci Rep (1), Biores Technol (2), Springer Nature (1), Energy Ecol. Environ. (1), Bioprotocol (3)

Major Projects

2026–2026 Research Scientist | Saint Louis University, USA 

Investigated the molecular mechanisms of phycobilisome (PBS) photoprotection and excitation energy dissipation in cyanobacteria, with emphasis on the Orange Carotenoid Protein. This work centers on characterizing OCP monomer–dimer equilibrium, OCP:PBS stoichiometry, and inter-PBS excitation energy in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Employed a broad technical repertoire including OCP photoactivation kinetics, sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation, Ni-NTA and Q-HP chromatography, Gibson Assembly for neutral-site integrations, and Kashino/Tris-Tricine SDS-PAGE for complex and small-protein analysis. Also lea Chlorobaculum tepidum cultivation and transformation work for photosynthetic complex studies.

2024–2025 Associate Scientist | Institute of Microbiology, Czech Republic

Led independent research projects examining the regulation of endogenous plasmids and the transcriptional control of phycobilisome organization in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Coordinated interdisciplinary collaborations within the Laboratory of Photosynthesis, and contributed to manuscript preparation. Consolidated expertise in cyanobacterial genetics, PBS biochemistry, and regulatory genomics while building toward independent group leadership.

2022–2024 Postdoctoral Researcher | University of Jyväskylä, Finland 

Carried out a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship investigating the genomic and structural diversity of cyanobacterial photoreceptors, with a focus on phytochromes and cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs). Performed comprehensive genome mining, phylogenetic reconstruction, and spectroscopic characterization of photoactive proteins, leading to the discovery and characterization of a novel DPCF-type CBCR class (manuscript in revision, Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, corresponding author). Developed optogenetic tools for light-controlled gene regulation in cyanobacteria and completed a secondment at the University of Bayreuth (Germany) on photoreceptor linker domain engineering. Mentored M.Sc. students and served as Course Coordinator for the Bacterial Optogenetics module at the 33rd Jyväskylä Summer School.

2020–2022 Postdoctoral Researcher | Purdue University, USA 

Explored exciton energy transfer, vibronic coupling, and pigment–protein electrostatic interactions in chlorophyll-binding photosynthetic proteins. Applied site-directed mutagenesis, protein purification, and advanced optical spectroscopy — including low-temperature fluorescence and time-resolved kinetics — to probe how protein environments tune chlorophyll absorption energies. Developed a simple electrostatic model enabling accurate prediction of mutation-induced frequency shifts in chlorophyll proteins (Journal of Chemical Physics, 2021). Also supervised Ph.D. students and contributed to studies on vibronic coupling in Photosystem II published in JPCL (2024) and Photosynthesis Research (2025/2026).

2017–2020 Postdoctoral Researcher | Institute of Microbiology, Czech Republic

Investigated the biogenesis of Photosystem II and the biosynthetic regulation of tetrapyrroles in cyanobacteria. Using molecular genetics, biochemical assays, and pigment analyses in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, contributed to the identification and functional characterization of BtpA, a thylakoid biogenesis protein required for the initial step of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis. Also developed protocols for antisense RNA-mediated gene knockdown in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, published as a methods paper in Bio-Protocol (2020, corresponding author). Received the Best Review Article Award from the Czech Academy of Science (2020) and the Best Poster Prize at the Gordon Research Conference on Photosynthesis (2019).

2011–2018 Ph.D. in Plant Biotechnology | Banaras Hindu University, India

Conducted a multi-institutional doctoral project under a DAAD sandwich fellowship spanning Banaras Hindu University, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Mumbai), and the University of Tübingen (Germany). Elucidated the role of the alternative sigma factor SigJ in stress response, photoprotection, and nitrogen fixation in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Constructed antisense RNA-mediated gene knockdown strains, performed transcriptomic and physiological analyses under diverse environmental conditions, and characterized the regulatory network controlling SigJ expression. Research resulted in multiple first-author publications including a landmark study in Plant and Cell Physiology (2017) demonstrating that SigJ downregulation confers a photoprotective phenotype.

 2008–2010 M.Sc. in Plant Biotechnology | Banaras Hindu University, India 

Investigated the molecular characterization of antagonistic bacteria active against Turcicum Leaf Blight disease in maize. Developed foundational expertise in plant molecular biology, microbial genetics, and biocontrol mechanisms that established the basis for subsequent doctoral research. Graduated first in class.

Skills

Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering: Molecular cloning, site-directed mutagenesis, PCR amplification, antisense RNA construction, gene knock-out and knock-down generation, plasmid regulation studies, promoter engineering (copper-regulated and inducible systems), heterologous gene expression in E. coli and cyanobacteria, transformation and strain construction, mutant screening and selection, antibiotic resistance marker design, and molecular verification of transformants.

Protein Biochemistry and Photosynthetic Complex Analysis: Protein expression and purification using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography, heterologous expression optimization, pigment–protein complex isolation, chlorophyll and phycobiliprotein quantification, thylakoid membrane preparation, photosystem and phycobilisome characterization, biochemical assays for photosynthetic activity, and reconstitution of chromophore-bound holoproteins.

Spectroscopy and Photophysics: UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, low-temperature (77 K) emission spectroscopy, time-resolved fluorescence kinetics, P700 absorbance and redox measurements, light-induced difference spectroscopy, chromophore incorporation and photocycle analysis, photometric and spectrophotometric assays, and spectral characterization of photoreceptors.

Bioinformatics and Computational Biology: Genome mining and annotation, multiple sequence alignment (MUSCLE, MEGA X), motif identification (MEME Suite), phylogenetic reconstruction (PAML, MEGA X), domain architecture analysis (Pfam, NCBI CD-Search, TBtools), synteny visualization (Gene Graphics, NCBI Nuccore), structural modeling (AlphaFold, SWISS-MODEL), homology modeling and structural superposition, RMSD and structural alignment analysis, and computational modeling of photoreceptor–chromophore interactions.

Optogenetics and Photoreceptor Engineering: Functional characterization of CBCRs and phytochromes, optogenetic tool development, spectral tuning and photocycle analysis, protein–chromophore interaction studies, linker region engineering, and design of light-controlled gene expression systems.

Analytical and Experimental Techniques: Spectrophotometry, chromatography (HPLC), pigment extraction, electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE, native PAGE), Western blotting, quantification of photosynthetic pigments, and protein stability assays under variable light and temperature conditions.

Data Analysis and Scientific Communication: Experimental design and statistical data analysis, figure preparation and graphical data visualization, manuscript writing and peer-reviewed publication, research report preparation, project management, grant writing and reporting, supervision and mentoring of students, coordination of collaborative projects, and presentation of research findings at international conferences.