Rushikesh Tamhane

Thesis title: "Applying Mass Spectrometry to understand plant protein modification and its influence on protein functionality in plant-based food matrices." 

Rushikesh commenced on 1 December 2025 and is based at AgResearch Lincoln. He completed his Master’s in Pharmaceutical Analysis at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ahmedabad, where he worked on Semaglutide (a GLP-1 analogue), focusing on its characterization and HPLC/LC–MS method development and validation, with some early exposure to proteomics. His PhD project applies mass spectrometry to understand plant protein modifications and how these influence protein functionality in plant-based food matrices. His technical interests include mass spectrometry, LC-HRMS, PTM analysis, bioinformatics, and anything that lets him dive deep into data. Outside the lab, he enjoys tech, light cybersecurity tinkering, computer troubleshooting, and socializing. Rushikesh is supervised by Prof. Mark Waterland (Riddet Institute) and Dr. Evelyne Maes (AgResearch).