GRADUATE STUDENTS

Ashwini Shinde

Morgain Maria Goettl-Meyer

Grant Hughes

Maelah Robinson-Castillo

Lauren Sarabia

Ariana Crary

Danae Mitchell

Salvador Guerra, Jr.

Michelle Near

Julia Lemak

Victoria Chang

Daphne Quang

Maham Haq

Ami Haas

Crystal Minjarez

Jose Riguero

Lisa Hirt

Joy Adler

Kristen Schuster

Paige Hoffman 

I was born in Michigan and raised right outside of Boulder, CO. I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a Bachelor’s in neuroscience before joining the Alexander lab as a research assistant. After a couple of years, I was accepted as a direct-admit into the neuroscience graduate program on campus to pursue my thesis work in my current lab. I focus on the pathomechanisms of epileptogenesis in focal cortical dysplasia using both human tissue and a CD-1 mouse model with constitutively active Rheb. My duties around the lab include immunohistochemistry, microscopy, human and mouse tissue collection, in-utero electroporations, and data analysis.

Nickole Moon

My research investigates stress-dependent molecular mechanisms underlying the epigenetic and mitochondrial regulation of cellular allostasis. Using a model of paternal stress in male reproductive cells, I study lasting changes in somatic cells and the secreted downstream signals, such as extracellular vesicles, necessary for sperm maturation that influence intergenerational differences in offspring neurodevelopment.

Graham Peet

I study how autoantibodies affect the quality of remyelination after a demyelinating injury. This process is relevant to Multiple Sclerosis and other autoimmune demyelinating diseases.

Luke Blecker

Primarily interested in biophysics of ion channel and ionotropic receptors. In my thesis labs, I study the hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide sensitive channel (HCN). I use a combination of whole cell and inside out patch clamp electrophysiology, molecular and cellular biology, and biochemistry to answer questions about this channel.

Mayra Bueno Guerrero

My research focuses on understanding the mechanisms which cause deficits in neurovascular coupling in Alzheimer's Disease, and trying to restore neurovascular coupling in this disease model.

Subash Lamichhane

My research is focused on understanding the mechanism of endocannabinoid signaling in cerebellum learning. I use the bottom-up approach to study this mechanism. For my projects, I express biological sensors such as GRAB in cerebellar neurons to test their activities in response to endocannabinoid signaling and use pharmaceutical tools such as DART to manipulate their functioning from brain slices to live-behaving mice.

Tessa Allen

My research focuses on oligodendrocyte dynamics in early development.

Aleezah Balolia

Harrison Ramsay

My scientific interests pertain to the nanoscale organization of glutamatergic AMPARs, at the excitatory synapse. My recently published work highlights that these nanoscale receptor populations can form even at synapses where neurotransmission has been completely blocked throughout the life of the neuron. My future work aims to further characterize the functional roles of nanodomains at the synapse.

Kim Gagnon

Luis Gomez Wulschner

I'm interested in understanding how neuromodulators influence excitatory synapse maturation during early prefrontal cortex development.

Madisen Mason

I am developing a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma mouse model using in utero electroporation. The goal of my research is to study how pediatric brain cancer mutations can alter the epigenome to promote tumorigenesis likely alongside normal brain developmental processes.

Matthew Larsen

I am interested in the mechanisms of excitatory synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory. Specifically, I study the role of CaMKII in long-term potentiation, and how its functions are impaired in Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome.

Matthew Sergison

I study the effect of aging on binaural hearing. Specifically, I am interested in how aging leads to changes in the auditory brainstem that may underlie problems with spatial hearing.

Becca Roth

Sarah Wolfe

I am interested in understanding synaptic changes during inhibitory synaptic plasticity. I want to understand the mechanisms regulating de novo protein synthesis during late stages of inhibitory long-term potentiation (iLTP). In particular, I am interested in the role of different transcription factors in regulating microRNA (miRNA) expression during iLTP.

Jordan Hickman

Electrical brain stimulation is a powerful clinical and research tool but how it affects neural activity and circuitry remains unclear. My project seeks to understand the neural response to electrical brain stimulation and its many parameters using high-density electrophysiological recordings in mice. The larger goal is that this may improve current uses of electrical brain stimulation and elucidate new uses.

Jackson Stocking

Courtney Dobrott

My thesis work in the lab of Dr. Abigail Person focuses on how output from the cerebellum contributes to the control of skilled movements such as reaching. Using a mouse model, my project aims to investigate the underlying cerebellar control policies that shape the production of skilled movements. Spanning circuit and behavioral levels, I will develop novel behavioral assays, conduct cell type specific recordings in the deep cerebellar nuclei, and utilize a closed loop kinematic system to alter reaching behavior through optogenetics.

My research focuses on using molecular and bioinformatic approaches to elucidate signaling mechanisms between the meninges and developing brain, and the pathology that occurs in neurodevelopmental disorders. Specifically, I work to understand the cellular 'cross-talk' required for proper neurogenesis and neuron migration.

Jose Vigil

Michael Stockton

I use in vivo imaging (2-photon + 3-photon) to investigate the how oligodendrocyte precursor cells differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes in both health and disease.

Robin Vareed

Sam Budoff

My primary focuses in the Poleg-Polsky lab are: 1) developing techniques to map individual cell classes in the mouse retina, and 2) applying machine learning to analyze historic retinal maps from different species. The goal of the first project is to fill in the gap in knowledge related to the roughly 30 unmapped murine RGC classes, the primary tools being employed are in situ hybridization and spatial sequencing. The goal of the second project is to create a set of algorithms that can automatically predict quantitative models of retinal maps, given published images as input.

Keenan Kushner

Joshua Hunt

I study how motor programming in the deep layers of the superior colliculus is integrated with sensory (visual) responses in the superficial layers. I use extracellular electrophysiology (Neuropixels), optogenetics/chemogenetics, and behavioral assays to dissect local collicular circuitry which facilitates a stable visual percept during active vision.

Jungmin Kim

I am interested in understanding drug-induced synaptic plasticity. I study the role of neurexins in addiction relevant circuitry.

Natalie Carey

I am interested in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which oligodendrocytes myelinate axons during development.

Roberto Ogelman

I study the role of serotonin in modulating excitatory synapse development in the mouse prefrontal cortex. I use in vivo chemogenetic and pharmacological approaches to examine how disrupting the serotonergic system affects dendritic spine development, along with electrophysiological and two-photon uncaging approaches to probe the mechanisms by which serotonin can modulate excitatory synapse plasticity.

Rongchen Huang

I'm interested in exploring effects of neuromodulatory methods in neurological disorders. I am currently studying the potential benefits of vagus nerve stimulation in myelin repair.

Samantha Bromley-Coolidge

I study the interplay between the extracellular matrix and oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the development of myelin and white matter.

Theresa Welle

I study molecular mechanisms of inhibitory synaptic plasticity. My thesis work specifically focuses on the role of mRNA translation for supporting long-term changes in inhibitory synaptic strength.

Juan Santiago-Moreno

My project studies how the mouse visual system represents, transmits, and transforms information about color and form in the visual scene. Specifically, I am interested in how interactions between the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (LGN) and primary visual cortex (V1) represent color spatially, and how that information is propagated further up the visual system hierarchy. To investigate this, I perform awake electrophysiological recordings using multiple Neuropixels probes to capture the activity of hundreds of neurons simultaneously.

Hannah Actor-Engel

I'm interested in molecular changes involved in excitatory synaptic plasticity. Specifically, I'm looking at how acute doses of amyloid beta protein disrupts NMDA receptor function.

Katlin Zent

I am interested in how neurons undergo long-term plastic changes in order to support learning and memory. Specifically, I am investigating how transcription factors are regulated in response to neuronal activity.

Michael Thornton

I am interested in applying advanced optical techniques in vivo to study neuron-glia interactions in health and disease.

Taylor Yamauchi