Vaishnavi Madhavan

Vaishnavi Madhavan has a diverse range of work experience in various fields. Vaishnavi most recently worked as a Research and Development Scientist at Beckley Psytech, a psychedelic medicine company focused on developing compounds to treat psychiatric and neurological disorders. In this role, they conducted early-phase clinical trials and explored new chemical entities for treatment options.

Prior to this, Vaishnavi worked as a Talent Acquisition and Wellness Intern at Bacardi Limited, where they researched science-backed methods to improve employee wellbeing in response to the ongoing pandemic and workplace burnout.

Vaishnavi also conducted a Master's Dissertation at the University of Oxford, where they reviewed literature on SSRI discontinuation syndrome, identifying potential molecular mechanisms driving the condition. Vaishnavi utilized knowledge from the cocaine withdrawal literature to identify relevant molecules involved in SSRI discontinuation syndrome.

Before that, Vaishnavi worked as a Junior Specialist/Research Assistant at the University of California, San Francisco, focusing on managing the molecular biology and genetic components of the FOCO Lab's computational neuroscience research.

Vaishnavi also received the Taylor Shadowing Fellowship and spent a summer at Haridas Clinic, shadowing medical professionals in a pediatric epilepsy clinic.

Vaishnavi's early work experience includes serving as a Teaching Assistant for Introductory Neuroscience at Macalester College, where they facilitated discussions and held office hours, as well as moderating a neuroscience fair. Vaishnavi also conducted a Bachelor's Dissertation studying the effects of a nootropic drug on navigational learning and memory in rats, and served as an International Student Program Mentor, providing guidance and support to incoming international students to help them integrate into the college community.

Vaishnavi Madhavan began their education at The British School, New Delhi, where they completed their IGCSE degree from 2007 to 2011. Vaishnavi then attended UWC Mahindra College from 2011 to 2013, where they pursued an International Baccalaureate degree with a focus on Biology, English, Economics (HL), Chemistry, Mathematics, and Hindi (SL).

Following their undergraduate studies, Vaishnavi enrolled at Macalester College from 2013 to 2017, where they obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. Vaishnavi'smajor was Neuroscience, and they also pursued minors in Biology and Studio Art during their time at Macalester.

In 2019, Vaishnavi joined the University of Oxford for their Master of Science - MS degree in Pharmacology, which they completed in 2020.

In addition to their formal education, Vaishnavi has obtained several certifications. In 2021, they became a Hogan Assessment Certification holder from Hogan Assessment Systems. In 2020, they acquired PIL AB (Rat, Mouse) certification from UK Home Office. Furthermore, in 2021, Vaishnavi became a Mental Health First Aider through Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England.