Meenakshi M. Asokan
masokan94@gmail.com
Education
2015 – 2022 Ph.D. in Neurobiology, Program in Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
2011 – 2015 B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering & Minor in Biomedical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Madras, India
Research Experience
2023 – Present Postdoctoral fellow, Princeton University, Falkner Lab
2022 – 2023 Postdoctoral fellow, Salk Institute, Tye Lab
2015 – 2022 Ph.D. student, Harvard University, Polley Lab
2014 – 2015 Undergraduate thesis researcher, IIT Madras, Computational Neuroscience Lab
2014 Summer research intern, Technical University of Munich, Bio-Inspired Information Processing Lab
Publications
Asokan MM, Watanabe Y, Kimchi EY, Polley DB
Potentiation of cholinergic and corticofugal inputs to the lateral amygdala in threat learning
Cell Reports (2023)
Asokan MM, Polley DB
New revelations from the zone of uncertainty
Neuron [Preview] (2023)
Asokan MM, Williamson RS, Hancock KE, Polley DB
Inverted central auditory hierarchies for encoding local intervals and global temporal patterns
Current Biology (2021)
Clayton KK, Asokan MM, Watanabe Y, Hancock KE, Polley DB
Behavioral approaches to reveal top-down influences on active listening
Frontiers in Neuroscience (2021)
Asokan MM, Williamson RS, Hancock KE, Polley DB
Nature Communications (2018)
Awards and Honors
2024 – 2027 Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow
2024 NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP) awardee
2024 Life Sciences Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Finalist
2021 Helen Carr Peake and William T. Peake Research Prize
2020 Oral presentation award, Advances & Perspectives in Auditory Neuroscience (APAN)
2020 Amelia Peabody professional development award, Harvard SHBT
2020 Harvard Horizons finalist professional development award
2019 Young scientist travel award, Harvard Brain Science Institute (HBI)
2018 Don Henderson travel award, Association of Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) midwinter meeting
2017 NIDCD travel award, International Conference of Auditory Cortex, Banff
2017 Kurt and Rhoda Isselbacher endowed scholarship, MBL summer course
2015 – 2017 Hershel Smith graduate student fellowship, Harvard University
2014 DAAD-WISE fellowship to pursue undergraduate research internship in Germany
Conference Talks
2020 Advances and Perspectives in Auditory Neuroscience (APAN), Online
2019 Neural Coding, Computation and Dynamics (NCCD), Capbreton, France
2018 Association of Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) midwinter meeting, San Diego, US
2017 International Conference on Auditory Cortex, Banff, Alberta
Conference Posters
2022 GRC - Optogenetic approaches to understanding neural circuits and behavior, Newry, ME
2020 Computational and Systems Neuroscience (CoSyNe), Denver, CO
2017 Society for Neuroscience (SfN), Washington, DC
2017 Association of Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) midwinter meeting, Baltimore, MD
Advanced Courses and Workshops
2024 Neuropixels & OpenScope workshop, Allen Institute & University of Washington, Seattle
2021 UCL Neuropixels Course (online)
2020 Neuromatch Academy (NMA) Computational Neuroscience online summer school, Interactive track
2017 Analytical and Quantitative Light Microscopy, MBL, Woods Hole
2017 Brain, Computation and Learning winter workshop, IISc, Bangalore, India
2015 Mechanobiology of the Brain summer school, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
2014 Neurobiology of Disorders winter workshop, IIT Kanpur, India
Skills
Experimental:
Mouse behavior, in-vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, calcium imaging, stereotaxic injections, histology
Software & Programming:
MATLAB, Adobe Illustrator, ImageJ
Service, Teaching and Outreach
2022 – Present Interviewer, Stories of WiN
Interview and manage website for Stories of WiN, podcasts featuring Women in Neuroscience
2020 - Present Ad hoc Journal Peer Review: Nature Communications, Neuron (with advisor)
2024 Social committee, Princeton Neuroscience Institute retreat
Organized activities during the annual department retreat
2024 Admissions committee, Princeton Neuroscience Institute Summer Internship Program
Reviewed applications to select undergraduates for the department’s summer internship program
2023 Undergraduate Junior Tutorial Course Instructor, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Taught a Fall semester course for undergraduates on Neuroscience research paper discussions
2023 Guest lecturer, UCSD
Taught a class for PSYC 272, UCSD graduate level course on Molecular basis of social behavior
2022 Leadership, Colors of the Brain (CoB)
Supported undergraduates via CoB-KIBM, a UCSD organization that promotes DEI in Neuroscience
2022 Mentor, Women in STEM Research (WISR) India
Mentored undergraduate women from India on career in academia through WISR
2022 Guest lecturer, UCSD
Taught a class for BIPN145, UCSD undergraduate level course on Neurobiology Laboratory
2022 Volunteer, SciChats@Salk, an education outreach program
An online chat with high-school students about life as a scientist with SciChats@Salk
2017 – 2020 Matlab bootcamp instructor, SHBT program, Harvard University
Taught an annual MATLAB bootcamp session for the incoming graduate students
2019 Guest lecturer, Emmanuel College, Boston
Taught a class on auditory neuroscience for undergraduate neurobiology course
2019 Guest speaker, MIT Private Pilot Ground School
Invited to give a short talk about my experience on becoming an FAA licensed private pilot
2018 Neuroscience strand faculty, Governor's Institute of Vermont
Taught a 10 hrs neuroscience course for high school students from Vermont
2016 – 2018 Mentor, Women in STEM mentorship program, Harvard University
Mentored undergraduate women in Harvard College on graduate school and opportunities in STEM
2015 Lecturer, MIT Educational Studies Program - Splash
Taught a short course on ‘Making Sense of Sound: The Auditory Brain’ for high school students