Shashi did his undergraduate and post-graduate studies in Genetics and Plant Breeding at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, India. He specializes in Genetics, Molecular Biology and Evolutionary biology and credits to the broad curriculum and emphasis on research-integrated pedagogy at Agriculture universities for his successes and accomplishments.

Shashi studied regulation of chlorophyll biosynthesis for his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, UK. Subsequently, he shifted his field of research to developmental biology and later to cancer biology. His group has identified key mechanisms that specify organ development and regulate growth control during embryonic development using Drosophila as a model system. They have also expanded their study to examine the status of these evolutionarily conserved mechanisms in epithelial cancers in human.       

Shashi is one of the founding academic members of 

1. IISER Pune and Ashoka University, contributing to their growth. 
2. In addition, he has contributed to establish the Indian Cancer Genome Atlas (https://www.icga.in/), a national consortium to promote collaborative cancer research and the 
3. Pune Knowledge Cluster (https://www.pkc.org.in/) and 
4. Bengaluru S&T Cluster (https://www.bestkc.in/) to promote multi-disciplinary collaborative work to address problems of health, water, environment and sustainable mobility in those cities. 

Shashi has served/is serving as Chair/co-chair/member of various apex committees of Government of India and S&T organizations, particularly those dealing with education, basic/applied/translational research, innovation, policy, international relations, and outreach. 

Shashi is recognized with CSIR Technology and SS Bhatnagar Prizes and JC Bose National Research Fellowship. 

In 2018, Shashi was elected as Associate member of European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO); an international recognition for excellence in research in life sciences. 

Shashi is an elected Fellow of 

• Indian National Science Academy (INSA), also served as Vice-President in the past
• Indian Academy of Sciences and 
• National Science Academy of Sciences, India. 

Shashi is Secretary General and first Indian to be elected as President in 100 years of history of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS).