Scientist Artist

Vaishnavi Padaki is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in the Department of Microbiology at Oregon State University, where she is in her fourth year of study. Her research focuses on the interactions between marine algae and bacteria mediated by volatile organic compounds.

Vaishnavi considers herself to be a scientist-artist, and she believes that art has the power to inspire and educate. For the past 12 years, she has practiced Zentangle art, which is a structured form of drawing that involves creating intricate patterns within defined spaces and has a distinctly meditative quality. Vaishnavi uses this art form to represent complex interactions and patterns in science using pen and paper. For the last year and a half, she has worked under the guidance of Dr. Jerri Bartholomew at Oregon State University to explore the use of glass as a medium for communicating marine science.

Vaishnavi is excited about this new medium and actively explores its possibilities and challenges to inform scientific stories.