Sthita Pati Bio

Sthita received his PhD in Behavioural Neuroscience from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 2018, where he investigated the neural mechanisms underlying early-life programming of long-lasting behavioural changes under the mentorship of Vidita Vaidya. In 2020, he joined the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour as a Research Fellow in Stephenson-Jones lab, where he studied the role of the basal ganglia in action sequencing and sensorimotor transformations. Through a combination of behavioural assays, optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations, and high-density electrophysiological recordings in freely moving mice, he explored how these circuits guide adaptive behaviour.

Currently, Sthita is a Senior Research Fellow in the Harris Lab, where he is exploring how sleep shapes neural circuits to support learning, memory, and energy homeostasis. Despite spending nearly a third of our lives asleep, the fundamental purpose of sleep remains one of the biggest mysteries in neuroscience. Using targeted optogenetics and large-scale electrophysiological recordings in freely moving mice, he is examining how sleep modulates sensory representation and plasticity within the olfactory circuit, a uniquely accessible model for studying the functions of neuronal networks. By uncovering the mechanisms through which sleep maintains and refines neural networks, his research aims to shed light on the essential role of sleep in cognition and brain function.

Beyond the lab, Sthita finds joy in singing, playing musical instruments, meditation and yoga, and spending time in nature.