Menu

Hello There

I am Sheetal Jadhav.
A Neuroscientist in training.

Latest Projects More About Me
Scroll Down

About

More About Me

A tea-driven organism on the path to decoding the brain. Photographer, writer, and Indian classical singer.

Howdy!

I am a graduate student at the Indian Institute of Science Eduation and Research, Pune. I work at the Rajan Lab directed by Dr. Raghav Rajan. My research focuses on investigating the neural mechanisms underlying complex vocal sequences using songbirds.

I believe that the most exciting scientific feats take place at the boundaries of multiple scientific disciplines. Studying the problems of neuroscience in isolation might not be the best of the ideas for the long arc of scientific history tells us a different story. A fusion that sits on the horizon, between physics, computer science, and biology is likely to get manifested in the backdrop of an interplay between information theory, thermodynamics, and neuroscience. I also believe this development will probably happen during my own lifetime and I do not wish to just witness these scientific turn of events but be a part of it, contribute in my small way, which is why I love my work. Outside of doing research I am an avid reader, I read about philosophy, science and politcs. I also blog my views, ocassionaly (working on being regular :P). I am a self taught photographer and an amatuer Indian classical singer. In a world where time is a social construct I feel blissfully at peace sipping my chai while enjoying the sound of rains. Feel free to reach out to me in any way possible, I am always up for a conversation.

Scientific Skills

  • 80%
    Programing (Python, MATLAB)
  • 65%
    Machine Learning Techniques
  • 75%
    Neuron network modelling
  • 80%
    Statistical inference and analysis
  • 70%
    Stereotaxic brain surgeries
  • 35%
    Neural recording and analysis (still learning )
Download My CV
Hire Me Now

My Work Experience.

Jan 2022 - Present

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research,Pune

Research Scholar: Dr. Raghav Rajan

I work with a special songbird called Zebra Finch which has been a beneficial model organism for studying learned complex behaviors as they show a unique behavioral trait of being able to vocalize a song as a part of their courtship ritual. The young bird learns the song, similar to how humans learn the language. This learning from experience (auditory feedback from the father) shapes the precise motor circuits required to sing a song and potentially attract mates. The song in itself has a highly stereotyped structure. I am currently investigatig the neural structures and pathways involved in producing and learning the song taking a neuroethological perspective.

Feb 2020 - Aug 2021

Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai

Visting Fellow: Prof. Sanjay Chandrasekharan

The goal of the project was to examine which wider brain regions are involved in face processing and understand their contributions in different cognitive roles, using seed-based functional connectivity analysis.

July 2017 - March 2018

National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka

Bachelor's Thesis Project: Implementation of a 10-Bit Delta Sigma Analog to Digital Converter

Designed and implemented a delta sigma analog to digital converter using oversampling and noise shaping to achieve a 10bit resolution, that can be integrated with signal processing blocks

Oct 2021 - Nov 2021

HHMI Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, USA

Research Consultant: Dr. Marius Pachitariu

Analyized calcium imaging data from 70,000 neurons to answer the question how and to what extent does the visual cortex perform generalization of visual input in stimuli rich environments. Did retinotopic analysis of 20,000 neurons from the visual cortex (of mice) to understand sparse stimuli encoding

June 2018 - Nov 2019

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai

Junior Research Fellow: Prof. Shubha Tole

Studied the effects of overexpression and knockdown of Wnt Signalling genes during the development of the hem (which is a telencephalic organizer/signaling center), using a mouse brain model. Was primarily involved in looking at the changes in gene expression using both histological and bioinformatic techniques (

May 2017 - July 2017

Indian Institute of Space Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum

Summer Research Intern: Prof. Deepak Mishra

Worked and proposed a optimized implementation of region- based image segmentation method, the watershed transform, intended mainly for segmenting images specifically of red blood cells eventually to count

May 2016 - July 2016

Indian Institute of Technology,Bombay

Summer Research Intern: Prof. Y.S.Rao

Worked on calibration of polarimetric SAR systems,in order to compare and analyze calibrated SAR data.

Portfolio

Projects.

A sneek-peak into the current projects I am working on. To follow the progress arc in detail watch out for my blog posts (could be lengthy :P) and feel free to hit my up for a conversation. Together we can brew new ideas

Interrupting Introductory Notes

NeuroEthology

Vero molestiae sed aut natus excepturi. Et tempora numquam. Temporibus iusto quo.Unde dolorem corrupti neque nisi.

Variation vs Noise

NeuroBiology

Vero molestiae sed aut natus excepturi. Et tempora numquam. Temporibus iusto quo.Unde dolorem corrupti neque nisi.

Building the Bird Brain

Computational Neurobiology

Vero molestiae sed aut natus excepturi. Et tempora numquam. Temporibus iusto quo.Unde dolorem corrupti neque nisi.

Literature Landscape

A bird's eye view

Vero molestiae sed aut natus excepturi. Et tempora numquam. Temporibus iusto quo.Unde dolorem corrupti neque nisi.

Schools and Conferences

Author image

CAMP is an intensive 16-day course, where students got trained in theoretical and computational modeling of memory and plasticity in the brain, spanning different scales of space, time and complexity. CAMP 2022's flavour was Neuromodulation. The course had lectures, hands-on tutorials, and projects that launched us into the exciting field of computational neuroscience.

Computational Approaches to Memory and Plasticity (CAMP 2022) NCBS, Bangalore
Author image

NMA is an intensive 3-week programs (8+ hours/day) involving hands-on tutorials developed and taught by leading experts that teaches computational techniques crucial for success in academia and industry

NeuroMatch Academy: Computational Neuroscience Course (2021) Online
Author image

A unique conference that connects research communities studying Predictive Processes and Statistical Learning sprout from different traditions, which share a core interest in how we/our brains pick up on patterns in the environment.

Bringing togther Predictive Processes and statistical learning TEX 2021, Online

Journal

Neologisms of an ostensibly curious mind

A space for my mind-dump. Hop along to know more about neurosciencey stuff I do, books I read and general thoughts or ideas that keep sprouting in my head

May 26, 2022

Indian Metaverse: Indian startups making the "beyond" work

Two years into the pandemic we can all agree the world has changed. Online conferences, zoom meetings, google classrooms, Netflix watch parties, online shopping are a few hallmarks of the new normal. The world has made a paramount shift from being real (offline) to being online. But the upheaval in silicon valley dictates, tech advances will not stop here. We are moving towards a world not just being heavily dependent on the internet but being IN the internet. This idea which seems science fiction rightly originated in a science fiction book called Snow Crash, however, does not seem fiction anymore. With Facebook renaming itself as Meta, Google and Apple investing more and more in AR/VR technology and Neuralink making grand claims to just think with machines, although it might be hard to imagine, there seems little debate that sooner or later we might transcend into a meta (’beyond’ in greek) universe.

TechnologyMetaverse