Dr Thejaswini Susobhanan
(she/her)
Teams and roles for Thejaswini Susobhanan
Research Associate
Overview
I am a research associate working with Dr Gaynor Smith, studying the molecular mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease with a focus on the risk gene WWOX. My research uses Drosophila and human iPSC-derived models to investigate how WWOX mutations affect metabolism, sleep, and neurodegenerative pathology. Building on my PhD work in circadian rhythms, I am particularly interested in how disruptions to sleep and biological timing contribute to disease progression. This work is funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) and aims to uncover conserved mechanisms linking genetics, sleep, and neurodegeneration.
Publication
2026
Articles
Biography
- Research Associate December 2025-Present
- UKDRI, University of Cardiff, UK
- Supervisor: Dr. Gaynor Smith, Senior Lecturer, Dementia Research Institute, School of Medicine
- Project Title: The role of Alzhimer's risk gene WWOX in metabolism and pathology
- PhD Researcher October 2019 – July 2024
- Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay - NeuroPSI CNRS, Saclay, France
- Supervisor: Dr. François Rouyer, Research Director (DR1) INSERM, Director, NeuroPSI
- Thesis Title: Regulation of Sleep-Wake Rhythms by Light in Drosophila melanogaster : Cellular and
Molecular Histaminergic Pathways from the Visual System to Clock Neurons
- Master’s Thesis Research June 2018 – September 2019
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram, India
- Supervisor: Dr. Nisha N Kannan, Assistant Professor
- Thesis Title: Role of Circadian Clock Gene Timeless in Triglyceride Metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster
Honours and awards
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ARUK Research Associate Fellow (2025–Present)
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PhD Fellowship for Competitive Excellence, University of Paris-Saclay (ED BIOSIGN Competition) (2019–2024)
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INSPIRE Fellowship, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India (2014–2019)