Dr. Bhatnagar received her Ph.D. in Infectious diseases from the University of Notre Dame in 2007. She carried out her postdoctoral research with Dr. Michael R. Green at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA. It was there that Dr. Bhatnagar began her work in understanding the epigenetic regulation of mammalian gene expression.

Dr. Bhatnagar began her independent research career at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in 2015, where she was an Associate Professor in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. Recently, Dr. Bhatnagar joined the Medical Microbiology and Immunology department at University of California Davis. Dr. Bhatnagar’s research program focuses on (i) understanding epigenetic silencing mechanisms in the control of mammalian gene expression, (ii) investigate how these mechanisms are deployed during development, and (iii) identify critical steps that, when altered, disrupt normal function. 

The lab utilizes various experimental approaches that include genetic, biochemical, and genomic experimental approaches and ex vivo (cultured mammalian cells and induced pluripotent stem cells) in vivo (mouse) models. The Bhatnagar lab has made important discoveries that have significantly impacted the understanding of gene regulation and revealed novel strategies to treat cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders.