I’m Pritish Patil, a PhD student nearing completion under the guidance of Ofer Yizhar and Misha Tsodyks at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

My Journey

As an undergraduate student at NCBS Bangalore, I began my scientific journey with Upi Bhalla, where I explored non-uniform expression of ion channels in dendrites in dendrites using detailed simulatins. I then pursued my Master’s degree at Weizmann Institute of Science, where Ofer Yizhar and Misha Tsodyks mentored me, working on understanding the role of interneuron subtypes in working memory.

During my rotations in my Master’s program, I had the opportunity to work with Michal Rivlin and Nachum Ulanovsky, further deepening my understanding of neural circuits. I also spent several months as a visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) Princeton, where I was exposed to new ideas and perspectives.

My Research As a PhD student, I’ve become particularly interested in studying how dendritic nonlinearities enable higher-order computations that underlie cognitive processes. To explore these questions, I’ve been involved in developing innovative optogenetic tools. In the previously I’ve work on developing stGtACR and eOPN3, which allow for somatic and axon terminal optogenetic inhibition, respectively. These tools have gained widespread adoption, with hundreds of labs around the world utilizing them to advance our understanding of neural circuits.