Subashika Govindan

I am a stem cell and neurobiologist with a strong focus on transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses to unravel the molecular underpinnings of cell fate transitions during neurodevelopment and brain disorders. My work spans diverse model systems including the mouse brain, human brain organoids, and in vivo models. During my PhD, postdoctoral, and visiting scientist tenures, I developed a novel in vivo birthdating technique that enables mapping the molecular blueprint of neuronal differentiation with temporal precision. I further investigated how chromatin architecture is dynamically regulated during the cell cycle in mouse embryonic stem cells. More recently, I established a cost-effective, high-throughput pipeline to generate a novel human brain organoid model that recapitulates key features of hippocampal and pallial development, offering a powerful platform to study region-specific neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Currently, my research focuses on the molecular pathways governing quiescence acquisition in neural stem cells, particularly in the context of glioblastoma and Alzheimer's disease. Broadening this inquiry, my lab is investigating evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that trigger the onset of cellular quiescence across diverse species, including yeast, C. elegans, and human in vitro models.