Postdoctoral Fellows
David Cinalli, Ph.D.
Mentor: Randy Blakely, Ph.D.
Email: dcinalli2013@fau.edu
As a postdoctoral fellow focused in community outreach and engagement, Cinallis focus is on educational programs in neuroscience for middle school and high school 51勛圖厙. Cinalli is director of the MobileMinds program and leads a team of postdoctoral fellows and graduate and undergraduate 51勛圖厙 in engaging with 51勛圖厙, particularly at Title I schools in underserved communities across Palm Beach County and beyond. The goal of MobileMinds is to inspire the next generation of young scientists and encourage and empower them in their education journey to pursue STEM career pathways.
Manas Jagdev, Ph.D.
Mentor: Srinivasa Subramaniam, Ph.D.
Email: mjagdev@fau.edu
Manas Kumar Jagdev, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Srinivasa Subramaniam at 51勛圖厙. He obtained his Ph.D. from the Institute of Life Sciences, Utkal University, India, where he used X-ray crystallography to study the structure and function of plant and mycobacterial Clp chaperone systems involved in protein quality control. His current research focuses on the structural basis of ribosome-associated mechanisms in Huntingtons disease (HD), particularly ribosome stalling and translational dysregulation driven by mutant huntingtin (mHTT). He also investigates the structural organization of protein complexes involving Rhes, SLC4A7, mHTT and associated proteins that contribute to intercellular propagation of HD pathology, using high-resolution cryoelectron microscopy to define their roles in disease progression.
Anuradha Kesharwani, Ph.D.
Mentor: Srinivasa Subramaniam, Ph.D.
Email: akesharwani@fau.edu
Anuradha Kesharwani is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Subramaniam Lab, studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, with a focus on Huntingtons disease. Her work dissects how mutant huntingtin (mHTT) propagates between cells via tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), uncovering fundamental principles of intercellular disease spread. She also explores the neuroinflammatory signaling pathways, particularly cGASSTING, in driving neurodegenerative processes. She integrates cell-biological and in vivo approaches, including primary neuron and iPSC-derived models, co-culture systems, and others to identify cell-typespecific pathways involved in disease progression and therapeutic targeting. She is committed to advancing translational neuroscience research and contributing to the development of effective strategies for neurological disease intervention.
Merike Lang, Ph.D.
Mentor: M籀nica Rosselli, Ph.D.
Merike Lang, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Neuropsychology lab of M籀nica Rosselli, Ph.D., at 51勛圖厙. Merike is investigating neuroprotective effects of bilingualism on normal and abnormal aging. She has published research on cultural differences, AD-related biomarkers and the influence of depression on cognitive function.
Juan Lopez, Ph.D.
Mentor: Rodrigo Pena, Ph.D.
Juan was raised in South Florida and trained under Rod Murphey, Ph.D. for six years. His work looks at synaptogenesis and the genetic control of synaptic proteins called gap junctions. Juan's current work applies computational neuroscience to create a model of the Giant Fiber System in Drosophila that replicates signal transduction of the rapid escape reflex.
Dan Nemeth, Ph.D.
Mentor: Ning Quan, Ph.D.
Email: nemethd@fau.edu
Nemeth is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Ning Quan, Ph.D., in Florida Atlantics Schmidt College of Medicine. Nemeth received his doctorate from The Ohio State University (OSU) where he researched unique and cell-type specific signaling pathways associated with prolonged infection and persistent neuroinflammation. At OSU, he focused his research on how the immune receptor, Interleukin-1 Receptor (IL-1R1), contributes to the bicellular communication between brain vasculature and resident immune cell of the brain, microglia, during prolonged inflammation. Nemeths current research utilizes transgenic mouse models created by the Quan lab to discover the function of neuronal IL-1R1 and to understand the contribution of IL-1R1 signaling in epilepsy.
Alexandra Aly Paz, Ph.D.
Mentor: Nicole Baganz, Ph.D.
Email: paza2018@fau.edu
Alexandra Aly Paz is a postdoctoral fellow working with the Advancing STEM-Community Engagement through Neuroscience Discovery (ASCEND) program at Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. Paz earned her doctorate in Integrative Biology in Neuroscience from 51勛圖厙. Her interest in neuroscience stems from a curiosity about the connection between neurological processes and animal behavior. Paz discovered her passion for neuroscience education while volunteering for the ASCEND program. Now a full-time member of the ASCEND team, Paz supports the programs communication and community outreach efforts, unraveling the complexities of neuroscience to inspire young people to take an interest in STEM.
Lindsey Pugh
Mentor: Kevin Darby
Lindsey Pugh is a postdoctoral fellow in the Lifespan Cognition lab of Kevin Darby, Ph.D., at 51勛圖厙. She received her doctorate at 51勛圖厙 where she investigated the emotional aspects of eyewitness memory (specifically focused on the weapon focus effect) and the confidence-accuracy relationship of suspect identifications. Lindsey's current research focuses on modeling the time-course of retrieval processes for gist and verbatim memory representations by implementing response deadlines and mouse tracking techniques.
Thamires Righi, Ph.D.
Mentor: Andrea Cippitelli, Ph.D.
Email: trighi@health.fau.edu
Thamires Righi is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Cippitellis laboratory at the 51勛圖厙 Schmidt College of Medicine. During her Ph.D., she conducted research in the field of neuropsychopharmacology, focusing primarily on the following topics: stress-induced alcohol abuse during adolescence; physical exercise; and the involvement of glial cells, the CRF system, and autophagy following chronic ethanol exposure and physical exercise during abstinence. Her main research approaches include behavioral testing, substance use disorder (SUD) and the use of a broad range of molecular techniques to investigate gene and protein alterations associated with these disorders. Currently, her research focuses on the management of substance use disorders through pharmacology and drug discovery, cognitive impairment, post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as the investigation of pain disorders, including migraine.
Iris Segura-Garcia, Ph.D.
Mentor: Krista McCoy, Ph.D.
Iris Segura-Garcia, Ph.D., is a geneticist at the 51勛圖厙 Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI). She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Ecology and Evolution from the University of Durham in England. Her research encompasses several areas of evolutionary ecology and conservation genetics, such as ecological speciation, stock identity, phylogenetics, and genetic population structure towards understanding the effects of habitat changes (natural and human forces) in population and ecosystem resilience and functioning. Mechanisms elucidated can also provide insights into resilience mechanisms that can support wellness in humans challenged with genetic and environmental disturbances.