Mrinalini Singh Bio

I am interested in how brain states, characterized by distinct neural oscillations, influence sensory representation, learning, and memory in the brain. As a PhD student at the Harris Sleep Lab, my goal is to combine experimental methods including optogenetics, electrophysiology, and behaviour with theoretical approaches to understand the computations underlying sleep-modulated synaptic plasticity of neural circuits during olfactory information processing.

I grew up in Mysuru, India and moved to the United States in 2017 to pursue a B.S in Biomolecular Science at New York University. Subsequently, I completed an M.S in biomedical engineering, also at New York University, where my interests broadened to using more computational techniques in biological applications. My journey in systems neuroscience began in 2022, when I joined the Neural Interface Engineering Lab led by Dr Shy Shoham as a Research Associate for 2 years. During this time, I conducted mouse behavior experiments and developed data analysis pipelines to study the effects of focused ultrasound neuromodulation on visually guided behavior. I collaborated with Rinberg lab to model how spatial-temporal patterns of olfactory stimuli represent behaviorally relevant information in the brain. Furthermore, in collaboration with Buzsaki lab, I applied time series and frequency analysis methods to study the relationship between heart rate variability and hippocampal sharp-wave ripples (SWR) during different sleep states.

Outside the lab, you can find me cycling around London, thrifting in vintage stores, and trying out new recipes in my kitchen (I am not a good cook).