Bio:

Pooja joined the Allen Institute in 2018 as a part of the Cell Types program. Her work focuses on the anatomical and physiological characterization of rare cell types in mouse and human brains. Prior to joining the Institute, Pooja received a B.S. and Ph.D in Neuroscience from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Her graduate work in Jon Kaas’ lab demonstrated transcriptomic variations in glutamate signaling within visual brain areas that contributed to differences in visual connectivity and physiology across a range of primate and rodent species. Pooja then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Daniel Polley’s lab at the Massachussetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School, where she examined transcriptomic shifts in auditory brain areas following acute hearing loss. Pooja brings a diverse range of expertise to her projects at the Allen Institute, including cellular and molecular neuroscience, neuroanatomy, and in-vivo optical physiology.