Hi, I'm Sushmita Arumugam

Neuroscientist, Space Biologist, Author

I'm a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience at the University of California, Riverside. My research explores how hypergravity alters the neural circuits that control locomotion and activity rhythms in Drosophila melanogaster. By studying how the brain responds to energy-demanding conditions like increased gravity, I aim to uncover how the nervous system senses and adapts to extreme environments. My email is - sarum004[at]ucr.edu

Current

Ysabel Giraldo Lab Ph.D. Candidate, Neuroscience University of California, Riverside

Graduate Teaching Assistant Feedback ↗︎

Publications

Arumugam, S., Horton, S., Giraldo, Y.M. (2025). Hypergravity disrupts geotaxis and activity in Drosophila melanogaster (In Review).

Figueiredo, C. A., Steffen, J., Morton, L., Arumugam, S., et al. (2022). Immune response and pathogen invasion at the choroid plexus in the onset of cerebral toxoplasmosis. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 19(1), 17.

Awards

Grad Slam Finalist 2025 University of California, Riverside

Graduate Dean's Dissertation Research Grant 2024 University of California, Riverside

Technical Merit - First Place ASGSR 2024 - 3 minute thesis competition

Dean's Distinguished Fellowship Award 2021 University of California, Riverside

Young Author Award 2015 SBIOA Literature Festival

Talks

Impairment of Locomotion and Activity Patterns in Drosophila melanogaster Across a Hypergravity Continuum - ASGSR 2024

Education

Ph.D. Candidate, Neuroscience University of California, Riverside, USA

M.S., Neuroscience Otto-von-Guericke-University, Germany

B.S., Biotechnology SVCE, India

Book

Cuz...Love Is Gravity ↗

Fun

I like watching science fiction movies and listening to Hans Zimmer albums. My favourite among them is Interstellar and Dune, which I've watched probably 10+ times. I love spending time by the ocean and staying close to nature.