Santhosh grew up in the historic city of Mysore  and completed Integrated Master’s degree in Molecular Biology. He worked with Dr. Bibha Bhoudhary at IBAB, Bangalore for his Master's thesis. He gained further research experience working as a project assistant in the lab of Dr. Sourav Banerjee’s lab at NBRC. For his PhD, Santosh is working on factors guiding the high vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to degeneration. Ever motivated, he finds happiness in little things in life. 

Akshaya's fascination with Neuroscience began when she did a school project on caffeine addiction. She nurtured her interest by interacting with neuroscientists, attending conferences and completing a Master's project on IPPase- a protein implicated in many brain disorders. In our lab, she will continue to indulge in Neurobiology research. Her project focuses on metabolic changes associated with Parkinson's disease. Outside lab, she is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She also enjoys reading books, drawing & painting

Anto, originally from the picturesque lakeshores of Vaikom, Kerala, got interested in neuroscience during his master's in Punjab. As part of his MSc project, he analyzed the gene expression profiling of α-synuclein in blood samples from early- and late-onset Parkinson’s disease patients. In our lab, he will be focusing on lipid alterations in Parkinson’s disease, which aligns perfectly with his academic interests. Outside of his research, he is interested in music. 

Unnati hails from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. She completed her BSc-Zoology followed by MSc-Biotechnology from Aligarh Muslim University. She qualified GATE 2022 in both Life Science and Biotechnology. She joined our lab to pursue her PhD on pathways regulating Parkinson's disease. 

Shriya Dhar

Originally from Kashmir and raised in Pune, Shriya's interest in neuroscience began in the 8th grade when she found it both fascinating and slightly unfair that her brain seemed to forget everything during exams. Wanting to understand why the brain behaves the way it does, she developed a curiosity that eventually grew into a passion for neuroscience. Since then, she has explored this interest through research internships at several institutes, including the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL), the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), and the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), gaining experience across diverse areas of neuroscience. She joined the Thakur Lab in 2024, where she continues to pursue her interest in neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic changes associated with them. Outside the lab, Shriya enjoys spending time with animals, especially her dog, and pursuing bird photography. 

Samrudhi Patel

Samrudhi is a Master's student and belongs to Pune, Maharashtra. Her fascination with biology was boosted during her higher education, where a set of remarkable teachers played a pivotal role in nurturing her interest in life sciences.

At IISER, undertaking several courses related to neurobiology and working in this lab further strengthened her understanding and enthusiasm, particularly in neurodegenerative diseases.

Apart from her research interests, Samrudhi has a passion for dance and considers it an essential part of her identity.

Aishwariya Jayan

Aishwariya Jayan, born and brought up in Kozhikode, Kerala, is currently pursuing her BS-MS degree at IISER Thiruvananthapuram. Her interest in neuroscience deepened during her internship at AIIMS Delhi, where she was exposed to MSC-derived extracellular vesicles as a therapeutic intervention and became inspired by the potential to develop treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. Driven by this curiosity, she will be carrying out her major project in our lab, focusing on Parkinson’s disease, exploring relevant questions to understand and fight this condition. Outside the lab, she enjoys listening to music and spending quiet moments in solitude.

Hasna Fathima

Hasna is originally from Alappuzha, Kerala, and is currently pursuing her BSMS degree from IISER Thiruvananthapuram.

Her interest in neuroscience began during an internship at NIMHANS, where she was exposed to research focused on neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. This experience sparked her curiosity about the molecular basis of brain function and disease and motivated her to explore how fundamental neuroscience research can contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders.

She joined our lab for her major project and will be working on Parkinson's disease, focusing on the molecular pathways involved in neurodegeneration and therapeutic intervention.