Biplov is a first year PhD student at Dr. Francis’s Lab. He is originally from Nepal. He completed his Bachelor’s in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (B.V.Sc. & A.H.) from Agriculture and Forestry University in 2020. During his years as a vet student, he has worked with a number of fascinating species including the Black Soldier Fly, Gharial Crocodiles, Himalayan Vultures and Asian Elephants as a part of his research projects which were funded by organizations like National Innovation Center (Nepal), National Trust for Nature Conservation (Nepal), Zebra Foundation (UK) and World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association (USA). He has also worked as the ‘Exchange Officer’ of the national chapter of International Veterinary Student Association (IVSA), Nepal. Apart of this, he also has an experience in the consulting sector where he founded a company that offered veterinary consulting services to private, public and international agencies. He was working as a registered veterinarian before he decided to move to the US to start his PhD.  He is interested in cancer research and wants to specialize in the area of cancer immunology and cancer epidemiology. Currently, he is working with organoids, and is trying to replicate the tumor microenvironment in the culture plate to further understand how cancer cells interact with other components of the TME (extracellular matrix, blood vessels, immune cells, etc.). His research also involves cancer studies in different animal models. 

When not in lab and classes, he likes to visit places and have fun with friends and family. You can reach him via his email: bsapko2@lsu.edu