Sharat, originally from Ashburn, Virginia, joined the Scharf lab as an undergraduate in May of 2023 during which he conducted studies of chemotactic response of the Sinorhizobium meliloti bacterium towards sugars found in Medicago sativa exudates. Sharat earned his BS in Biology from Virginia Tech in Spring of 2024 and joined the Scharf Lab as a PhD. student in the Fall of 2024. Outside the lab, Sharat enjoys riding his motorcycle, working on cars, gaming, and hiking.