He received his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2007, and held postdoctoral positions at the University of Kansas and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before joining CSU in 2015. His research interests include commutative algebra and its interactions with algebraic geometry and combinatorics. Broadly speaking, commutative algebra is the use of algebraic tools to study the solutions to polynomial equations that involve many variables. Prof. Validashti has worked on the theory of graded algebras and integral dependence, equisingularity theory, syzygies and singularities, and symbolic powers of ideals. The main objective of this research is to understand how geometric ideas manifest themselves in algebraic structures and invariants. Prof. Validashti's current research investigates how these algebraic invariants can be computed in combinatorial settings.