Nitya Subrahmanian,

Dr. Subrahmanian obtained her Bachelors in Biotechnology, from VIT University, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. She earned her doctoral degree from the Department of Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University (2015). For her doctoral research, Nitya investigated mitochondrial biogenesis, chloroplastic thiol-disulfide chemistry, and algal biofuel production, using a unicellular plant model system. She has extensive expertise in the study of mitochondrial complex I biology. Her research led to the discovery of a novel factor required for complex I biogenesis that functions through regulating mitochondrial gene expression.

Nitya has long been interested in elucidating the molecular bases of mitochondrial disorders to open new avenues for potential therapeutics. This motivation led her to transition from plant systems to mammalian models by joining Dr. LaVoie’s laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher (2020), where her research focused on the role of mitochondrial pathways in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. As a research assistant professor, she will investigate the role of mild complex I deficiency in the abnormal aggregation of alpha-synuclein using cellular (mammalian cell culture, including stem cells and iPSC-derived neurons) and animal models of Parkinson’s disease. As part of her academic career, Dr. Subrahmanian is also deeply committed to mentoring students in research and has mentored >25 students to date.