Dr. Poduri joined the NINDS as Deputy Director in October 2024. She has been a leader in the field of epilepsy genetics, and her work has led to the discovery of several genes associated with epilepsy. Her pioneering work in the field of somatic mutation in neurodevelopmental disorders has advanced our understanding of the causes of epilepsy and related disorders. A focus of Dr. Poduri’s work has been to provide precision diagnoses and treatment using genome sequencing in children with epilepsy and their families. Further, Dr. Poduri has been the principal investigator on numerous NIH-supported grants. Dr. Poduri has served as an elected member of the Board of the American Epilepsy Society, an invited member of the Genomics Commission of the International League Against Epilepsy, Chair of the American Epilepsy Society/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Benchmarks Stewards Committee, and a member of the NINDS NST1 study section. Dr. Poduri serves as a Senior Investigator in the NICHD, where her lab continues to study genetic causes of epilepsy using zebrafish models.