Group Members

Principal Investigator

Prof. Rajesh Ramachandran
Professor
Phone: +91 172 2293
Fax: +91 172 2240266
rajeshra@iisermohali.ac.in

Native to Kerala, India, Rajesh obtained his Master’s degree in Marine Biology from School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). Subsequently, in 1999, he joined Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India to obtain his Ph.D. He received two Post Doctoral Fellowships: one from Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India and another from Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, the USA, which was funded by NIH. In 2012, he joined Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (Mohali) as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.
(Rajesh Ramachandran in google scholar)

Post Doctoral Fellow

Dr. Poonam Sharma
Post-doctoral Fellow

Born and brought up in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, Poonam obtained her Master’s in Microbiology from Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Afterward, she joined the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh for her Ph.D. She joined IISER Mohali in September 2014 and is continuing research in the lab to study the roles of pluripotency factors in retina regeneration and optic nerve regeneration. Her observations on regulation of Muller glia cell reprogramimg by the pluripotency factor Oct4  and Tgf-β signaling pathway are published in Life Science Alliance in 2019 and iScience in 2020.

With her knowledge and expertise, she constantly mentors and supports the lab Ph.D. graduates and Masters students in their projects.

Dr. Priya Battu
Post-doctoral Fellow

Priya Battu is from Solan, Himachal Pradesh. She completed her BSc (Hons) and MSc (Hons) in Zoology from Panjab University Chandigarh. She is PhD from Dept of Neurology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh. She joined IISER Mohali in April 2023 as a postdoctoral researcher. She is working on a project “Novel genes in pathogenesis of Glaucoma: A validation in glaucoma patients and animal model”.

Dr. Naveed Nabi
Post-doctoral Fellow

Born and brought up in Kashmir, Naveed earned his Master’s in Zoology from HNB Garhwal Central University, Uttarakhand. He completed his doctoral research in the Department of Zoology at University of Kashmir, Srinagar. In May 2025, he joined IISER, Mohali as a postdoctoral researcher. His current research interest aims to explore the fascinating neuro-immune interface in retinal regeneration.

 

Graduate Students

Ashish Sethi

Ashish belongs to Haryana. He obtained B.Sc. in Zoology from Ramjas College, University of Delhi. He joined IISER Mohali in 2016 as an Int. Ph.D. student who currently is trying to decipher the roles of various epigenetic regulators in zebrafish retina regeneration.

Pooja Shukla

Pooja Shukla, from Madhya Pradesh, obtained her M.Sc. in zoology from Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya. She joined IISER Mohali in August 2018 and currently working on elucidating the multi-faceted roles of epigenetics in retina regeneration.

Kshitiz

Kshitiz obtained his integrated BS/MS dual degree from IISER Mohali. He did his Master’s thesis project in the Regeneration Biology lab and wished to explore more in the field of retina regeneration and thus, joined the lab for his Ph.D. studies in 2021. His research work is inclined towards dissecting out the involvement of Hippo signaling pathway in zebrafish retina regeneration.

Raga T.

Raga Thankachan, originally from Kerala, completed postgraduate studies in Zoology at Sacred Heart College, Kochi, in 2021. Currently pursuing Ph.D. at IISER Mohali, Raga is dedicated to exploring the nuanced function of neurotrophic factors in the intricate process of retina regeneration. 

Aditi Bhagat

Aditi Bhagat is from Haryana. She has completed her Masters in Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering at Panjab University, Chandigarh in 2022. She joined Ph.D at IISER Mohali in Aug-2023, studying the role of epigenetic factors in regeneration. 

Varshini R.

Varshini, from Tamilnadu has completed her Masters integrated degree in Biotechnology from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu in 2023. She’s currently pursuing PhD in IISER Mohali since August 2024. She is trying to explore the role of membrane associated protein’s role in regeneration.

Masters Students

Year 2025-26