Since 2022: Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Neuropsychology, Ruhr University Bochum

2019-2022: Postdoctoral Researcher
Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin

2014-2019: Doctorate, NeuroCure PhD program
Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin
Thesis: Role of hilar mossy cells in the dentate gyrus-CA3 network during sharp-wave ripples (Summa cum laude)

2012-2014: M. Sc. in Neurosciences
International Max Planck Research School, Göttingen
Thesis: Role of non-coding RNAs in the hippocampus during contextual fear conditioning

2008-2012: B. Tech. in Biotechnology
Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Anna University Chennai, India
Thesis: Potential role of serotonin in maintenance of pluripotency in mouse ES cells

• Schieferstein N, Del Toro A, Evangelista R, Imbrosci B, Swaminathan A, Schmitz D, Maier N, Kempter R (2024) Propagation of sharp wave-ripple activity in the mouse hippocampal CA3 subfield in vitro. J Physiol 602(19):5039-5059. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP285671
   
• Imbrosci B, Nitzan N, McKenzie S, Donoso J, Swaminathan A, Böhm C, Maier N, Schmitz D (2021) Subiculum as a generator of sharp wave-ripples in the rodent hippocampus. Cell Reports 35(3), 109021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109021
   
• Kuijpers M , Kochlamazashvili G, Stumpf A , Puchkov D, Swaminathan A, Lucht MA, Krause E, Maritzen T, Schmitz D, Haucke V (2021) Neuronal Autophagy Regulates Presynaptic Neurotransmission by Controlling the Axonal Endoplasmic Reticulum. Neuron 109(2):299-313.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.10.005
   
• Beed P, Ray S, Velasquez L.M, Stumpf A, Parthier D, Swaminathan A, Nitzan N, Breustedt J, Las L, Brecht M, Schmitz D (2020) Species-specific differences in synaptic transmission and plasticity. Sci Rep 10(1), 16557. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-73547-6
   
• Swaminathan A, Wichert I, Schmitz D, Maier N (2028) Involvement of Mossy Cells in Sharp Wave-Ripple Activity In Vitro. Cell Rep 23(9):2541-2549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2018.04.095
   
• Burk K, Ramachandran B, Ahmed S, Hurtado-Zavala JI, Awasthi A, Benito E, Faram R, Ahmad H, Swaminathan A, McIlhinney J, Fischer A, Perestenko P, Dean C (2018) Regulation of Dendritic Spine Morphology in Hippocampal Neurons by Copine-6. Cereb Cortex 28(4):1087-1104. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhx00

• Since 2025: Walter Benjamin Postdoctoral Fellowship
  German Research Foudation
• 2014-2017: NeuroCure Excellece Cluster PhD Fellowship
  Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin
• 2012-2014: International Max Planck Research School Masters Stipend
  Max Planck Society, Göttingen
• 2010: National Science Fellowship for students
  KVPY, India

Posters

• Involvement of hilar mossy cells in the functional coupling between CA3 and dentate gyrus during sharp wave-ripple activity, Society for Neuroscience (SfN), 2018, San Diego, USA
• Mossy cell-mediated functional coupling between area CA3 and dentate gyrus during sharp wave-ripple activity, Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), 2018, Berlin

Talks

• Synaptic input and output of hilar mossy cells during sharp-wave ripples, Young Investigator talk, German Neuroscience Conference, 2017, Göttingen

• Seminar: Memory Consolidation
  Winter term 2024/2025; M. Sc. Cognitive Science