Rakshya Baral is a doctoral researcher and experienced Microbiologist with a strong background in Environmental Microbiology and wastewater-based epidemiology. She holds a Master’s degree in Medical Microbiology, where her research focused on detecting the antibiotic resistance gene blaKPC in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Rakshya has worked as a Microbiologist, gaining hands-on experience in microbial diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance detection, and the study of infectious diseases. Her current research focuses on the impact of climate change on enteric viruses, studying Hepatitis A and E, Norovirus, and Rotavirus through molecular and statistical methods. She has also conducted wastewater surveillance for emerging pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses. With expertise in techniques like qPCR, viral concentration methods (PEG and NMP), and statistical data analysis, Rakshya bridges laboratory research with public health applications. Her contributions to systematic reviews and collaborations with public health institutions aim to advance global understanding of viral transmission dynamics and disease mitigation strategies.