Rohit Ramchandra is interested in the mechanisms behind sympathetic nerve activity in normal physiology and during pathophysiological states, such as hypertension and heart failure. Rohit’s PhD research focussed on the interaction between the sympathetic nervous system and nitric oxide in the long-term regulation of blood pressure. Nitric oxide levels are diminished in hypertensive patients, and Rohit’s project investigated the effect of decreased levels of nitric oxide on the nervous system. By using a novel approach of direct recording of nerve activity and blood pressure in animal models of hypertension, he was able to identify an important interaction between the role of receptors sensing blood pressure (baroreceptors) and nitric oxide in the control of blood pressure. Following on from his PhD, Rohit is now a postdoctoral research fellow at the internationally renowned Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne, Australia, where he is investigating the role of the nervous system in the progression of heart failure. Rohit’s project here aims to elucidate the mechanisms driving the increased nerve activity to the heart. A better understanding of the mechanisms behind the increased nerve activity should lead to better therapeutic interventions in heart failure.