Aayushi (pronounced as I-You-She) is originally from Dehradun, India. She completed her Bachelor's in engineering majoring in Biotechnology at SRM University in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Aayushi completed her Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Paul Lambert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focused on developing a novel infection model using Murine papillomavirus. This model marked the first instance of de novo papillomavirus-mediated carcinogenesis from active virus infection.

With an interest to study polymicrobial interactions in modulating host responses, Aayushi joined the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Grice at University of Pennsylvania to understand how the skin microbiome contributes to skin diseases.