Swanand did his MSc by research at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai. He studied the role of Norepinephrine receptors in modulating adult hippocampal neurogenesis and depressive-like behavior. He was particularly interested in fast-acting antidepressant treatments. Swanand did Ph.D. at the Department of Medicine, University of Fribourg, Switzerland. During his Ph.D., he chose to tread a slightly unconventional path, working on cell cycle regulation in post-mitotic neurons and by studying the role of astrocytes in modulating behavior. He later worked as a scientist at the Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Switzerland for two years, before starting his own lab at IISc. He is currently studying the role of astrocytes in mood-related behavior. 

I've joined the research team as a senior project associate. My research focuses mostly on studying astrocyte subpopulations, understanding their physiological role, and the response to stress and antidepressant therapies. My past research experience involves studying the biology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the tuberculosis-causing pathogen (PhD: CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow; postdoc: Weill Cornell Medicine, New York).