Rishab @ University of Fribourg

I am Rishabh Goyal, a 4th-year undergraduate student from the Department of Biotechnology at IIT Kharagpur, enrolled in its Dual Degree with a specialization in Entrepreneurship Engineering.

Most of my research experience was online due to the pandemic, so I missed out on interacting with professors, PhDs and others, and experiencing the lab environment. The ThinkSwiss scholarship helped me with funding my summer research program, with professors who are experts in their domain. I had the opportunity to work on the project in the field of “Characterizing Human (Pre-) History with Ancient DNA,” under Prof. Daniel Wegmann at the Department of Bioinformatics at the University of Fribourg. I received guidance to implement a flexible sex-estimation tool by looking at the sequencing depth of sex chromosomes in the software, with the team effort of my lab members. This also included tests with simulations, and the feature applies to ancient genomes. 

Apart from research and exploring the country, ThinkSwiss also helped me to connect with peers, which encouraged me to continue my work as a researcher. I exchanged with many experts in diverse fields that’s helping me shape my career path. Determination of the sex from human history is of vital importance in the disciplines of bioarchaeology and forensics, that I hope to contribute in the long run.

Rishab Goyal
ThinkSwiss Research Fellow 2022