I received my undergraduate degree in Biotechnology from Anna University, India. As a visiting student at JNCASR, India, I studied the neurogenetic basis of circadian regulation of fly behavior and sleep. I then moved to Texas and earned my MA in Biology from Texas A&M University under the guidance of Dr. Federico Bermudez-Rattoni where I focused on the molecular mechanisms underlying acquisition and retrieval of aversive taste memories. After graduating, I worked as a Research Specialist at McLean Hospital with Dr. Bill Carlezon and Dr. Edward Meloni, conducting pre-clinical studies on animal models to assess the role of the neuropeptide PACAP in stress- and fear-related disorders. I then joined the PhD program in Neuroscience at Emory University to carry out my thesis work with Dr. Brian Dias to investigate neural circuits underlying pathological fear memories, specifically in thalamic and subthalamic circuits involved in fear inhibition. In the Ingraham lab, I will be studying the role of estrogen-responsive neurocircuitry in energy homeostasis