Harini Gangadharan, MSc
Having travelled from India to the United States to do my master’s degree, I have enjoyed every step of the way through my learnings of lab functioning and research with varying degrees of failure and successes. My primary area of interest is neurology and oncology research and as a graduate student, I started working in a brain metastatic breast cancer with Dr. Jason Bush to identify potential biomarkers in triple-negative breast cancer. My experience in graduate school and research have improved my technical and interpersonal skills. My project involved 2D and 3D cell culture, qPCR, RT-PCR, and cell-based assays, microscopy imaging and data analysis I also had an opportunity to present my research at the CSUBiotech at Santa Clara, CA and at CCRS at Fresno which gave me a chance to connect with the scientific community and I won the best poster presentation award. My potential goal is to contribute my experiences to the scientific community and continue fighting towards illnesses.
Senthil Gounder, PhD
Currently, I am working as a Research Scientist/Lab Manager in the Department of Gastroenterology at Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA. I collaborate and co-ordinate multiple projects in academia and industry. I received my doctoral degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmacology and Toxicology) from the Harrison School of Pharmacy at Auburn University, Alabama. I have over 17 years of research experience in neurodegenerative disease and disease modifying-drug development. My current research experience emphasizes the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway, gut-brain axis, microbiome, and target-based drug development to prevent or halt Parkinson’s disease progression. Notably, my completed projects are now moving forward with Phase I and II clinical trials (Nilotinib, K0706, and Ikt-148009). I have over five years of experience with a proven record of leading multiple projects from planning to execution, overseeing, and following up with project milestones.
Elena Gracheva, PhD
Elena Gracheva, PhD, received her PhD from the University of Illinois in Chicago in 2008 and performed postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. David Julius at the University of California, San Francisco, working on infrared sensation in snakes and bats. In 2012, Dr. Gracheva started her lab at the Yale University School of Medicine. She is also co-–founder of Sensory Physiology Club, an independent outreach program for students from high schools in the greater New Haven, New York, and Boston areas. The main goal of Dr. Gracheva’s lab is to understand the cellular, molecular, and physiological basis of mammalian hibernation. Her lab employs multidisciplinary approaches, including naturalistic animal behavior, electrophysiology, imaging, genomics, transcriptomics, and single-cell sequencing. Her notable contributions to science include discovering mechanisms of cold tolerance and fluid ionic balance in hibernators. Her group will apply these approaches to reveal molecular and cellular signatures associated with Parkinson’s disease.
Viviana Gradinaru, PhD
Viviana Gradinaru, PhD, is Professor of Neuroscience and Biological Engineering at Caltech. Her research group has developed optogenetic, tissue clearing, and gene delivery methods for accessing function and anatomy in the vertebrate nervous system and is now applying them to study circuitry underlying neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Combining neuroscience, protein engineering, and data science, her laboratory has produced microbial opsins that are tolerated by mammalian cells and viral capsids capable of crossing the blood-–brain barrier in adult mammals, which could enable high-precision, minimally-invasive repair of diseased nervous systems. Dr. Gradinaru has received, amongst many honors, the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and outstanding young investigator awards from both the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy and the Society for Neuroscience. Alumni from the Gradinaru laboratory went on to successful careers in academia and industry.
Scott Grafton, MD
Scott T. Grafton, MD, is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he directs the UCSB Brain Imaging Center. He received BA degrees in mathematics and psychobiology at the University of California at Santa Cruz (1980) and an MD at the University of Southern California (USC) (1984). Dr. Grafton completed residencies in neurology at the University of Washington and nuclear medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he developed expertise in functional imaging using positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. He developed brain imaging programs in the Schools of Medicine at USC, Emory University, and Dartmouth College before joining the faculty at UCSB in 2006. Dr. Grafton oversees an interdisciplinary research team working at the interface of learning theory, the organization of skilled action, network science, and movement disorders using multimodal brain imaging.
Glenda Halliday, PhD
Glenda is a NHMRC Senior Leadership Fellow at the Brain and Mind Centre and Professor of Neuroscience in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Sydney. Her research on central autonomic systems, Parkinson’s disease, alcohol toxicity, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementias and motor neurodegenerative diseases is well recognised, acknowledged by NHMRC High Achiever (2013) and Elizabeth Blackburn Clinical awards (2015 &2020), election to the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (2015), the 2017 David Marsden Lecture Award from the International Parkinson Society and the 2016 Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Sciences USA.
Jacquelyn Haytayan, BSc
Jackie quickly identified an astute interest in research methods while studying at The University of Vermont. She conducted undergraduate research, which was awarded sponsorship by her university. Her studies brought her towards an interest in molecular biology, pharmacology, and neuroscience. This lead her to a position as lab manager for Dr. Kaplitt's research team, investigating gene therapy treatments for Parkinsons disease. While she confidently maintains organization within the lab, she has branched out into the research methods of her fellow lab members, determined to invest herself in the data being produced.
Michael Henderson, PhD
Michael Henderson, PhD, is a neuroscientist whose focus is on the impact of protein pathologies and genetic risk factors on the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. He earned his BS in biological science from Florida State University, followed by his PhD in neuroscience from Yale University. He conducted his doctoral research in the lab of Dr. Sreeganga Chandra and moved to the University of Pennsylvania for his postdoctoral fellowship in the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research with Dr. Virginia Lee. In 2020, Dr. Henderson joined Van Andel Institute’s Department of Neurodegenerative Science as an assistant professor. Dr. Henderson’s lab uses neuronal culture, animal models, and human brain to investigate the underlying pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease and leverages that knowledge to develop and evaluate therapeutics for these diseases.
Michael Higley, MD, PhD
Michael Higley, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the Yale School of Medicine. He received his MD/PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Higley has 25 years of experience using electrophysiology and optical imaging to study the organization and function of the mammalian nervous system. He has made fundamental contributions to our understanding of how GABAergic inhibition and neuromodulation influence neural activity and behavior via regulation of synaptic transmission and excitability. He has established and applied advanced methodologies for fluorescence imaging to study neural circuits, both ex vivo and in the neocortex of awake, behaving mice. In recent years, the Higley Laboratory has pioneered the combined application of these methods to bridge the gaps between molecular, cellular,, and systems neuroscience.
Tom Hnasko, PhD
Tom Hnasko, PhD, earned a BS in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a PhD in neurobiology and behavior from the University of Washington. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco. In 2012 he joined the Department of Neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego, where he is currently Associate Professor. His lab uses mouse genetics and, molecular and physiological tools to study mesolimbic and basal ganglia neural circuits that guide volitional behavior. A major focus is the study of diverse cell types and circuits in the ventral midbrain, including the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area, with a special focus on neurotransmitter co-release and on how changes in these circuits contribute to neuropsychiatric diseases including addiction and Parkinson’s disease.
Mark Howe, PhD
Mark Howe, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. His lab aims to advance an understanding of the neural circuit mechanisms of action, motivation, and learning. His team develops and applies new technical approaches to probe neural circuits with high resolution on multiple spatial and temporal scales and with neurotransmitter and cell-type specificity in behaving animals. A long-term goal is to derive a set of fundamental circuit principles that explain how basal ganglia circuits dynamically modulate behavior and how circuit dysfunction contributes to neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and addiction. Prior work by Dr. Howe has established distinct, behaviorally relevant neuromodulator signals in the striatum on timescales ranging from tens of milliseconds to days, which may contribute to unique aspects of motivation and learning. Future studies will investigate how these signals are dysregulated in disease and how they may be effectively targeted by future therapeutic strategies.
Javier Hoyo Perez, PhD
Dr. Hoyo, is graduated in chemical engineering and chemistry and holds MSC in Molecular Biotechnology and MSC in Chemical Process Engineering. Research lines: i) fabrication of micro-/nano-particles & hydrogels and their functionalization using bioactive agents for medical applications (antimicrobial and antibiofilm); and ii) use of natural polymers in multiple applications such materials functionalization (polymeric, paper and textiles), fluidic paper devices, bioadhesives and bioremediation.
Janna Jernigan Posey, PhD
Janna Jernigan Posey, PhD, is a project manager for Team Liddle as a part of Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP). She is also a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and T32 Training Grant Appointee as a part of the ADRD at the Stark Neuroscience Research Institute. Dr. Jernigan Posey’s research focuses on investigating chronic systemic inflammation and the central-peripheral inflammatory axis in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Jernigan Posey received her BS in Biology and Psychology from the University of Georgia and then completed her PhD at the University of Florida. Across these institutions, her research centered on understanding how metabolic and chronic inflammatory stressors impact central and peripheral immune responses pertinent to the development of downstream neuropathology. Moreover, Dr. Jernigan Posey’s work examined how changes in relevant immunoregulatory proteins, such as RGS10, influenced the development of potential disease-relevant immunophenotypes.
Michael Kaplitt, MD, PhD
Michael G. Kaplitt, MD, PhD, is Professor and Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine. He received a PhD in molecular neurobiology from The Rockefeller University and an MD from Cornell University Medical College. An international leader in gene therapy and functional neurosurgery for neurodegenerative disorders, he first described using adeno-associated virus in the mammalian brain in 1994., In 2003, he performed the first human gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD)., and Dr. Kaplitt has also performed the first gene therapy for a genetic form of Parkinson’s disease and first induced pluripotent stem cell transplant for Parkinson’s disease, among many other translational innovations. His lab research focuses upon using gene therapy to better understand and treat unmet needs in PD and other neuropsychiatric disorders. His many honors and awards include elected membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Society for Neurological Surgeon
Ann Kennedy, PhD
Ann Kennedy, PhD, is a theoretical neuroscientist at Scripps Research in San Diego. She is broadly interested in the neural control of complex and naturalistic behavior, and her research has focused on the use of methods from machine learning, dynamical systems, and control theory to characterize the structure of animal behavior and its control by the brain. She completed postdoctoral training with Dr. David Anderson at California Institute of Technology, where she modeled hypothalamic control of social and fear behaviors. Prior to that, she pursued her PhD at Columbia University with Dr. Larry Abbott, where she modelled information representation and learning in cerebellum-like structures.
Zayd Khaliq, PhD
Zayd Khaliq, PhD, is a neuroscientist who studies cellular excitability and synaptic control of neurons in the midbrain dopamine system. His research focuses on dopaminergic neurons and uses a combination of electrophysiology, imaging, and optogenetics to examine how synaptic information is integrated and transmitted to trigger behaviorally -relevant patterns of dopamine release. His studies have contributed to our understanding of how dopamine receptors influence excitability through modulation of intrinsically -expressed ion channel proteins. Dr. Khaliq has contributed to our understanding of diversity among dopamine neuron subpopulations defined by their participation in identified circuits and the expression of biochemical markers. He is also known for his work examining how excitatory, inhibitory, and modulatory receptors contribute to processing within subcellular compartments such as spines, dendrites, and axons, which is critical for dopamine signaling in motor learning circuits.
Oula Khoury, PhD
Oula had obtained her PhD in Molecular Biology: Molecular Medicine and Translational Science from Wake Forest University, in Winston Salem, NC. During her postdoc, she studied the effects of chlorine gas on the biological and chemical functions of human lung organoids. Oula facilitated efficient team communication and interactions in her role as team lead in lung organoid manufacture. Oula will utilize these intellectual skills in her role as project manager
Talia Lerner, PhD
Talia Lerner is an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Lerner earned her BS in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from Yale University. She earned her PhD in Neuroscience from UCSF under Dr. Anatol Kreitzer, and completed postdoctoral training at Stanford University under Dr. Karl Deisseroth.
Dana Lewis, PhD
Dr. Dana Lewis is a Program Officer at the Coalition for Aligning Science and Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP), a basic science initiative aimed at unraveling the etiology of Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Lewis earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the George Washington University in the laboratory of Dr. Zayd Khaliq at the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. She completed her postdoctoral work at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. Maya Opendak at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. As a graduate student and postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Lewis’ research focused on connecting neurophysiological measurements of mesolimbic circuits with behavior and biomarkers of disease. In addition to her expertise in neurophysiology and systems neuroscience, Dr. Lewis is passionate about facilitating science communication to scientists and nonscientists alike.
Rodger Liddle, MD
Rodger A. Liddle, MD, received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University and postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He has served on the faculties of UCSF and Duke University. At Duke, Dr. Liddle has held numerous leadership positions, including Chief of the Gastroenterology Division. Dr. Liddle’s research focuses on enteroendocrine cell biology and pancreatic pathobiology. His laboratory discovered neuropods that connect enteroendocrine cells to nerves and provide a connection between food and microbes in the gut and the nervous system. He also discovered that enteroendocrine cells contain alpha-synuclein. Dr. Liddle is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians. He has served as Associate Editor of Gastroenterology, the American Journal of Physiology, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, and JCI Insight. He recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Pancreatic Association and has also served as its president.
