# Purnati Khuntia, PhD Mechano-Developmental Biology 2024 - present ![Headshot of Purnati Khuntia](/sites/g/files/omnuum13181/files/styles/hwp_4_5__320x400/public/2026-07/0eb200529bb3d5cb8a47c09c083f3bc300699a41.jpeg?itok=71qgKHm3) smartphone [(617) 998-0812]() email [purnati\_khuntia@fas.harvard.edu](mailto:purnati_khuntia@fas.harvard.edu) Our lab investigates how tissue-level architectures emerge from the material properties and spatial organization of subcellular structures. Currently, we are focusing on nuclear mechanics and positioning in the context of epithelial pseudostratification. By using a diverse set of model organisms, we aim to uncover fundamental principles governing how nuclear material properties contribute to the evolution of pseudostratified architecture. With state-of-the-art high-resolution microscopy and mechanical as well as molecular perturbations, we aim to recapitulate the evolutionary trajectory of pseudostratification as a function of nuclear mechanics. [KHUNTIA LAB WEBSITE](https://pkpurnati.wixsite.com/mablab) - ## Cohort Year(s) [2024](/cohort-year/2024) [2025](/cohort-year/2025) [2026](/cohort-year/2026) - ## Role [Current Fellow](/role/current-fellow)