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Project Scientist (Lab) LinkedIn imtiaz.stem@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Lab Team Stem Cell Research Dr Imtiaz Zafar Project Scientist (Lab) Imtiaz is a Project Scientist at the Centre for Brain and Mind with a doctoral degree in Neuroscience and Pluripotent Stem Cells from NCBS-TIFR, Bangalore and postdoctoral training from Regenerative Medicine Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA. At CBM, he is investigating the effect of Clozapine treatment on NSC and IPSC/ NSC derived cortical neurons. In his spare time he likes watching movies and sports and listening to music.

Work With Us There are currently no open opportunities at CBM–NIMHANS. Please check this page for future updates. Internship Opportunities Explore the dynamic realm of neuroscience and psychiatric research with internship opportunities at CBM-NIMHANS. Gain invaluable hands-on experience, delve into cutting-edge research, and be part of a team shaping the future of brain science. Internship opportunities are available on a rolling basis. Sign up here, and we will reach out to you if there are any available positions. Sign Up

Clinical Group Genetics and Stem Cell Group Endophenotype Group Endophenotypes are measurable and heritable traits or behaviors linked to a disorder, that sit between the genetic factors and the observable symptoms of the condition. Psychiatric disorders are increasingly viewed as neurodevelopmental disorders, which are influenced by genetic, epigenetic & environmental factors. These clues offer insights into genetic underpinnings of these disorders. Utilising endophenotypes derived from various assessments like neuroimaging can enhance the reliability of research on brain function. Dr. John P. John Professor, Department of Psychiatry Dr. Venkatasubramanian Ganesan Professor, Department of Psychiatry Dr. Jitender Saini Professor, Department of Neuro Imaging & Interventional Radiology Dr Bharath Holla Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry Dr. Sreeraj V S Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry Affiliated Labs and Centre ADBS Neuroimaging Centre (ANC) Centre for Brain Mapping (CBM) Translational Psychiatry Lab (TransPsych) Multi-modal Brain Imaging Analysis Lab (MBIAL) Facilities Eye Tracking Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) MRI Scanner Philips Ingenia 3.0T CX MRI EEG Featured Publications Parekh P, Vivek Bhalerao G; ADBS consortium, John JP, Venkatasubramanian G. Sample size requirement for achieving multisite harmonization using structural brain MRI features. Neuroimage. 2022;264:119768. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119768 Lakkireddy SP, Balachander S, Dayalamurthy P, et al. Neurocognition and its association with adverse childhood experiences and familial risk of mental illness. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2022;119:110620. doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110620 Bhalerao GV, Parekh P, Saini J, Venkatasubramanian G, John JP; ADBS consortium. Systematic evaluation of the impact of defacing on quality and volumetric assessments on T1-weighted MR-images. J Neuroradiol. 2022;49(3):250-257. doi:10.1016/j.neurad.2021.03.001 Parekh P, Bhalerao GV, Rao R, et al. Protocol for magnetic resonance imaging acquisition, quality assurance, and quality check for the Accelerator program for Discovery in Brain disorders using Stem cells. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2021;30(3):e1871. doi:10.1002/mpr.1871 Holla B, Dayal P, Das A, et al. Transdiagnostic neurocognitive endophenotypes in major psychiatric illness. medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory). February 2020. doi:10.1101/2020.02.14.20022863

Junior Research Fellow (Neuroimaging for ANC) LinkedIn fernandesblossom98@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back MRI/EEG Team Blossom Fernandes Junior Research Fellow (Neuroimaging for ANC) Blossom is a JRF for Neuroimaging ANC at the Centre for Brain and Mind. With a Masters degree in Medical Imaging Technology with experience in clinical MRI and other modalities in imaging. She enjoys watching movies and TV series, exploring new places and playing badminton

Senior Professor Dpt. Of Psychiatry Google Scholar Back Back to People Page Back Co-Investigator Team Molecular Genetics Dr Sanjeev Jain Senior Professor Dpt. Of Psychiatry Sanjeev Jain is a clinician and a teacher, and researches the genetic correlates of psychiatric and neurological disease. He studied medicine at the Delhi University (Maulana Azad Medical College); and did his post-graduate studies at the NIMHANS. He has been a Commonwealth Fellow at Cambridge (UK), and the co-Director of a NIH-Fogarty training and mentorship program. He has provided the lead for, and participated in, several population and cohort studies, and also provides genetic testing for several neuro-degenerative disorders, as well as counseling services for these families. This work includes the genetics of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease, as well as addiction and OCD. Over the past few years, discussions and collaboration with other colleagues at NIMHANS, the NCBS and inSTEM, have extended the research from the clinic, to the bench, using both clinical assessments (including MRI, EEG etc.) as well as tools of cellular and molecular biology, including WES, iPSC and neuronal cell lines from individuals diagnosed to have psychiatric illnesses, and their affected and unaffected relatives. He has been a member of the committee for drafting the Mental Health Policy document for India; and is also an Adjunct Faculty at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR), Bangalore. His other interests include the history of mental health services in India, from the colonial to the contemporary period. This work has helped understand the interface between science and medicine, and social responses to mental illness in India. The work has been supported by various funding agencies in India (DBT, ICMR, DST and the CSIR), as also the Wellcome Trust, NIH (Fogarty) and the MRC-ICMR. Gopikumar, V., Narasimhan, L., Easwaran, D., Srinivas, A., R, K., Moideen, P., Sivayokan, S., Rohatgi, P., Padmakar, A., Rajesh, V., Ravi, M., Krishnadas, P., Margaret, A., Hamlai, M., Sharma, C., Joseph, S., Venkateswaran, C., Ck, K., Sn, S., … Ravikanth, L. (2025). From institutions to homes: Evaluation of a housing with supportive services intervention for people with psychosocial disabilities with histories of homelessness. SSM - Mental Health , 7 , 100424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100424 Parthaje, S., Janardhanan, M., Paul, P., Karunakaran, K. B., Deb, A. P., Shankarappa, B., Pal, P. K., Mahadevan, A., Jain, S ., Viswanath, B., & Purushottam, M. (2025). CAG Repeat Instability and Region-Specific Gene Expression Changes in the SCA12 Brain. The Cerebellum , 24 (3), 60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-025-01808-z Ratna, N., Venkatesh, S. D., Pasupulati, S., Murari, G., Kamble, N., Viswanath, B., Yadav, R., Varghese, M., Pal, P. K., Jain, S. , & Purushottam, M. (2025). Allelic Diversity, de novo CAG Expansions, and Intergenerational Instability at the HTT Locus in a clinical sample of Huntington’s Disease from India . https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.03.21260193 Shankarappa, B., Prasad, V. P., Kumar, S., Rao, R. S., Royal, A. B., Swamy, M., Prasad, P., Niranjana Murthy, A. S., Ganesh, S., Viswanath, B., Jain, S. , Purushottam, M., & Thyloth, M. (2024). A Novel Homozygous Variant in CPLANE1 Gene in a Patient with Developmental Deficits. Molecular Syndromology , 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1159/000541167 Vinod, P., Sen, S., Jayasankar, P., Janardhanan, M., Paul, P., Viswanath, B., Jain, S ., Harbishettar, V., Sivakumar, P. T., & Purushottam, M. (2024). Does Apolipoprotein E polymorphism play a role in familial Alzheimer’s Dementia. Alzheimer’s & Dementia , 20 (S1), e087257. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.087257

Engineer rashmirao.raviraj@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back MRI/EEG Team Rashmi Rao Engineer

Project Assistant LinkedIn | Twitter | Instgram pannagaprasadg@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Lab Team Pannaga Prasad G Project Assistant Pannaga Prasad G is a dedicated Project Assistant with a passion for molecular biology and genetic research. Holding an Integrated MSc in Molecular Biology, Pannaga brings expertise in Sanger sequencing, variant effect prediction, electrophoresis, and NGS analysis to his role. Apart from his scientific pursuits, he's an avid chess player and passionate about nature conservation, spending his free time gardening and exploring the outdoors.

Bioinformatician LinkedIn swathyprathapan99@gmail.com Back Back to People Page Back Lab Team Swathy Prathapan Bioinformatician Swathy is a Bioinformatician at the Centre for Brain and Mind. With a Master's in Bioinformatics, Swathy has experience working in Next Generation Sequencing and data extraction from diverse bioinformatics databases.

Swachatha Worker Back Back to People Page Back Support Team Sheela K Swachatha Worker