Principal Investigator

Academic Career

After completing her Ph.D., Dr. Minocha began her postdoctoral work in the Department of Fundamental Neurosciences at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, under Dr. Cècile Lebrand in Dec. 2010. Her research during this period focused on glial cells in the developing embryonic brain and the molecular mechanisms guiding callosal axons. From 2013 to 2016, she continued her postdoctoral research in Prof. Winship Herr's lab at the Center for Integrative Genomics, University of Lausanne, studying the transcriptional regulation of mouse cell proliferation and differentiation during brain development, liver regeneration, and chronic liver disease.

In 2017-2018, Dr. Minocha served as an SNF Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Integrative Genomics. Shilpi Minocha was a recipient of the Ramalingaswami re-entry fellowship and she joined the Kusuma School of Biological Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi as an Assistant Professor in July 2019. At IIT Delhi, she leads a laboratory focusing on development, regeneration, and cancer research mentoring several scholars and students. Dr. Minocha is now establishing the first zebrafish facility in Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

Research Contributions

Dr. Shilpi Minocha's research has significantly contributed to our understanding of developmental biology, regeneration, and neurobiology. Her research interests focus on understanding the regulation of molecular and cellular mechanisms in development. During her doctoral studies, she used genetic approaches to study organ development in fruit flies, focusing on stem-cell proliferation and neural connectivity required for brain formation. Her work provided valuable insights into the genetic controls and cellular processes that underlie the development of complex neural structures. This foundational research laid the groundwork for her subsequent studies in mammalian systems. Her postdoctoral work in Dr. Cècile Lebrand's lab at the University of Lausanne provided significant insights into neurodevelopment. She discovered the role of transcription factor, Nkx2.1 in regulating astrogliogenesis and the formation of major brain commissures. Her work also established the function of NG2-positive glia in brain vascular network establishment and the guidance role of GABAergic neurons in callosal axon formation.

In Prof. Winship Herr's lab, Dr. Minocha furthered her research on transcriptional control and developmental biology, making significant discoveries about the role of transcriptional coregulator, HCF-1 in embryonic development, neurodevelopmental disorders, and liver regeneration. Her work demonstrated that HCF-1 is crucial for early embryonic survival, with its absence leading to severe developmental failures. She also created a unique model to study cortical malformations such as polymicrogyria, contributing to a better understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders. Moreover, her research on liver regeneration highlighted the evolutionary flexibility of regeneration mechanisms and provided new models for studying non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its progression to chronic liver disease. These models have become invaluable tools in understanding disease mechanisms and testing therapeutic strategies.

At IIT Delhi, her lab focuses on understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying development, regeneration, and cancer using animal model systems like mice and zebrafish. These models help elucidate the pathophysiological basis of developmental disorders and aid in the discovery of novel interventions.