Professional Research Staff

My research focuses on understanding the relationship, under various conditions, between respiratory centers in the brainstem that are chemosensitive (e.g., CO2 and pH) and those that are involved in driving inspiration and expiration. To understand these relationships requires a number of techniques including whole cell patch-clamp, nerve recordings, and optical imaging of populations of cells—neurons and glia—in reduced preparations. My approaches are complimented by a number of molecular approaches in the Bayliss lab that aim to uniquely identify the molecular components of the chemosensors and to identify cell-specific markers to better delineate the relevant cell networks present in the Retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) and other identified respiratory centers.

Throughout my short academic career, I was involved in studying the bacterial production of secondary metabolites and their pharmacological and industrial scale applications. Besides that, I have also worked briefly on the developmental role of Sirtuins (histone deacetylases) in Arabidopsis thaliana plant. Currently, I am more focused on gathering knowledge that can be applied to the treatment of chronic inflammation and its detrimental effects on many diseases by finding, characterizing and modulating the ion channels involved in inflammation, immunity and tissue homeostasis. 

Primary research area of interest is elucidation of neural circuits in behaving animals and deep brain stimulation. Other research interest include understanding metabolic basis of different neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease, Type 3 diabetes, Anxiety Disorders, Dementia, Depression and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).

My research interest lies in studying the neurotransmission in both healthy and diseased neural circuits. In addition to this, I aim to develop innovative optogenetic tools to precisely modulate AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission.

My current work aims to answer two questions: 1) how is the extraordinary neural synchrony initiated and rapidly broadcast across the entire cortex during an absence seizure? 2) How does energy metabolism alter neuronal excitability and ultimately change network-level activity to become more or less prone to seizure? To answer both of these questions, I use various types of genetically modified mice that allow me to finely dissect the contributions of energy metabolism signaling pathways and different brain structures that are involved in generating absence seizures.

My research focuses on cardiometabolic inflammation.

I hail from the foothills of the Western Ghats, India. Completed my bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Visvesvaraya Technological University and Ph.D. from Dept. of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India. My doctoral research was focused on understanding the expression regulation and significance of G-protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER1) in breast cancer. My research interests are epigenetics, chromatin dynamics, and gene expression regulation.

The focus of my postdoctoral research is to understand the onset and development of fatty liver disease (hepatic steatosis). Excessive accumulation of fat in the hepatocytes is a characteristic feature of hepatic steatosis. The pathological condition is also associated with the wrinkled nuclear lamina and abnormal nuclear morphology. I am studying the significance of this wrinkled nuclear lamina on chromatin dynamics and gene expression regulation. Using a gene-therapy approach, I am exploring the possibilities of reverting the wrinkles of the nuclear lamina to develop a treatment strategy. Next-generation sequencing techniques such as ChIP-Seq, Hi-C, and RNA-Seq are some of the high-end techniques I use for my investigation.

I completed my Ph.D. degree in Analytical Chemistry from CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, India. My research was focused on Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based identification and structural characterization as well as quantification of small molecules and the discovery of pharmaceutically active fractions and compounds from plants. Currently, I am particularly interested in how tissue damage is translated into chronic inflammation and tissue fibrosis, and how oxidized phospholipids and other danger signals contribute to these processes. I am using MS to identify and characterize novel danger-associated molecules that can be used as biomarkers of disease progression and I measure levels of oxidized phospholipids in murine models as well as in human plasma samples. In addition to this, I am also aiming to develop MS -based methods for isotope tracing and metabolomics.

My research focuses on the role of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein folding and degradation in the pathogenesis of various liver diseases such as hepatic conformational diseases, liver cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and liver cirrhosis.

My research interest is related to neural control of breathing and blood pressure. We are investigating how neurons at the lower brainstem (retrotrapezoid nucleus and rostral ventrolateral medulla) regulate breathing, blood gases homeostasis, blood pressure and arousal. We use chemo- and optogenetic approaches in vivo to perform gain- or loss-of-function experiments in order to reveal the role of specific neuronal types in those physiological variables.

My research interest lies in the regulation of synaptic transmission in the nervous system, with a particular focus on developing new tools for brain science research. I have contributed to the development of genetically encoded sensors for the detection of neurotransmitters. Using the sensors for high-resolution fluorescence imaging could provide a deeper understanding of the complexity of the nervous system in both space and time. Ultimately, I aim to use these tools to study the regulation of presynaptic transmitter release in studying the fundamental mechanisms for psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.