GSB is a Professor and PI within the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences and Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Glasgow. His research over the last 20 years has examined many aspects of the cAMP signaling pathway in disease and has published over 200 papers on the subject. GSB is a specialist in the use of peptide array technology and he uses it to map regions of post-translational modification and protein-protein interaction sites. Research from the Baillie lab has cemented the hypothesis that phosphodiesterases are “compartmentalized” into nano-domains, and it is their location within cells and tissue that directs their function. GSB was one of the first to discover a specific function for a single isoform of PDE4 (namely PDE4D5 with beta-arrestin desensitizes the beta2-adrenergic receptor) and this was published in Science. His lab has ascribed functions to specific PDE4 isoforms in the brain and these discoveries have been published in Science, Nature, PNAS, EMBO, Molecular Cell and Current Biology. GSB is a founder and Director of Portage Glasgow LTD, a Glasgow University spin-out company.

GSB is a Professor and PI within the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences and Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Glasgow. His research over the last 20 years has examined many aspects of the cAMP signaling pathway in disease and has published over 200 papers on the subject. GSB is a specialist in the use of peptide array technology and he uses it to map regions of post-translational modification and protein-protein interaction sites. Research from the Baillie lab has cemented the hypothesis that phosphodiesterases are “compartmentalized” into nano-domains, and it is their location within cells and tissue that directs their function. GSB was one of the first to discover a specific function for a single isoform of PDE4 (namely PDE4D5 with beta-arrestin desensitizes the beta2-adrenergic receptor) and this was published in Science. His lab has ascribed functions to specific PDE4 isoforms in the brain and these discoveries have been published in Science, Nature, PNAS, EMBO, Molecular Cell and Current Biology. GSB is a founder and Director of Portage Glasgow LTD, a Glasgow University spin-out company.

Jean-Michel Cioni did his PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Fabrice Ango at the Institute of Functional Genomics (CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France), working on neuronal development in the cerebellar cortex. In 2013, he moved for his postdoctoral training to Pr. Christine Holt’s laboratory in the Department Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. There, first as an EMBO postdoctoral fellow and then as a Research Associate, he focused his research on the control of gene expression by mRNA transport and local translation in neuronal compartments. In 2020, Jean-Michel obtained the Armenise-Harvard Foundation Career Development Award and an ERC Starting grant to establish his laboratory at the San Raffaele Institute in Milan.

Jean-Michel Cioni did his PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Fabrice Ango at the Institute of Functional Genomics (CNRS, INSERM, Montpellier, France), working on neuronal development in the cerebellar cortex. In 2013, he moved for his postdoctoral training to Pr. Christine Holt’s laboratory in the Department Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. There, first as an EMBO postdoctoral fellow and then as a Research Associate, he focused his research on the control of gene expression by mRNA transport and local translation in neuronal compartments. In 2020, Jean-Michel obtained the Armenise-Harvard Foundation Career Development Award and an ERC Starting grant to establish his laboratory at the San Raffaele Institute in Milan.

Dr Anna Falk, Associate Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet has a research group of PhD students and post-docs. In addition to being the Scientific director and the founder of the iPS Core facility at Karolinska Institutet, with one facility manager and two research assistants.
Dr Falk has long experience in the field of stem cells in general and neural stem cells in specific, all through her career as PhD student, post-doc (at Cambridge University) and now for the last 8 years as an independent group leader. The Falk lab are deriving patient-specific iPS cells as a starting material for building cellular models in 2D and 3D (organoids) of the human neural system, neurons and glia. The development of protocols for deriving authentic and relevant cell types for studies of a particular disease is the first very important step for a faithful model. The Falk lab has developed cellular models for a variety of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, like autism, Lissencephaly, Schizophrenia, intellectual disabilities and have successfully used them to uncover previously unknown mechanisms causing disease phenotypes, as example see Marin Navarro and Pronk et al 2020, Lam et al 2019, Lundin et al 2018, Shahsavani et al 2017.

Dr Anna Falk, Associate Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet has a research group of PhD students and post-docs. In addition to being the Scientific director and the founder of the iPS Core facility at Karolinska Institutet, with one facility manager and two research assistants.
Dr Falk has long experience in the field of stem cells in general and neural stem cells in specific, all through her career as PhD student, post-doc (at Cambridge University) and now for the last 8 years as an independent group leader. The Falk lab are deriving patient-specific iPS cells as a starting material for building cellular models in 2D and 3D (organoids) of the human neural system, neurons and glia. The development of protocols for deriving authentic and relevant cell types for studies of a particular disease is the first very important step for a faithful model. The Falk lab has developed cellular models for a variety of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, like autism, Lissencephaly, Schizophrenia, intellectual disabilities and have successfully used them to uncover previously unknown mechanisms causing disease phenotypes, as example see Marin Navarro and Pronk et al 2020, Lam et al 2019, Lundin et al 2018, Shahsavani et al 2017.

Dr. Linlin Fan is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Prof. Karl Deisseroth at Stanford University. She obtained her PhD degree in 2019 at Harvard University, working with Prof. Adam Cohen. Her long-term research interests lie in understanding brain algorithms, linking the rich spatiotemporal dynamics of neurons and circuits to behavior and studying what goes wrong in diseases. During her PhD training with Prof. Adam Cohen at Harvard University, she has developed simultaneous genetically targeted voltage imaging and optogenetic manipulation to resolve synaptic excitation and inhibition, and to dissect their individual contributions to circuit dynamics in awake mice. As a PhD student, she has also developed an all-optical synaptic assay for probing excitation and inhibition in primary culture, acute slices and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. She received Larry Katz Memorial Lecture award in 2020.

Dr. Linlin Fan is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Prof. Karl Deisseroth at Stanford University. She obtained her PhD degree in 2019 at Harvard University, working with Prof. Adam Cohen. Her long-term research interests lie in understanding brain algorithms, linking the rich spatiotemporal dynamics of neurons and circuits to behavior and studying what goes wrong in diseases. During her PhD training with Prof. Adam Cohen at Harvard University, she has developed simultaneous genetically targeted voltage imaging and optogenetic manipulation to resolve synaptic excitation and inhibition, and to dissect their individual contributions to circuit dynamics in awake mice. As a PhD student, she has also developed an all-optical synaptic assay for probing excitation and inhibition in primary culture, acute slices and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons. She received Larry Katz Memorial Lecture award in 2020.

Dr. Gate is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Tony Wyss-Coray at Stanford University. He is a recent recipient of the Irene Diamond/AFAR postdoctoral transition award in aging research. He studies the interaction between the immune system and the brain, with a focus on age-related neurodegeneration. His latest research explores the role of adaptive immune T cells in Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Gate is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Tony Wyss-Coray at Stanford University. He is a recent recipient of the Irene Diamond/AFAR postdoctoral transition award in aging research. He studies the interaction between the immune system and the brain, with a focus on age-related neurodegeneration. His latest research explores the role of adaptive immune T cells in Alzheimer’s disease.

Remi is a postdoctoral fellow in the Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity laboratory (CPP-Lab) o Olivier Collignon at the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium). He has a background both in biology and psychology. He did his first PhD studying the role of serotoninergic neurons in the interplay between pain and cardio-vascular regulations in rodents and Rémi is now finishing a second PhD in cognitive neuroimaging on multisensory integration in humans . His current work focuses on the perception of motion and he uses high-resolution MRI to address this question in blind and sighted controls by investigating the BOLD response at different depths in the cortical sheet. He is also very passionate about open science that he sees as a) a way to build a more inclusive research community based on sharing and cooperation rather than hoarding and competition, b) a way to address some of the replicability and reproducibility issues that are affecting many areas of science by making the sharing of code and data more common, c) a set of tools and practices that can greatly reduce inefficiencies in the research process and can benefit the overall community as well as the individual scientists.

Remi is a postdoctoral fellow in the Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity laboratory (CPP-Lab) o Olivier Collignon at the Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium). He has a background both in biology and psychology. He did his first PhD studying the role of serotoninergic neurons in the interplay between pain and cardio-vascular regulations in rodents and Rémi is now finishing a second PhD in cognitive neuroimaging on multisensory integration in humans . His current work focuses on the perception of motion and he uses high-resolution MRI to address this question in blind and sighted controls by investigating the BOLD response at different depths in the cortical sheet. He is also very passionate about open science that he sees as a) a way to build a more inclusive research community based on sharing and cooperation rather than hoarding and competition, b) a way to address some of the replicability and reproducibility issues that are affecting many areas of science by making the sharing of code and data more common, c) a set of tools and practices that can greatly reduce inefficiencies in the research process and can benefit the overall community as well as the individual scientists.

Nir is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at Imperial College London and a founding fellow of the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK-DRI). The long-term goal of his research is to develop neuromodulatory interventions for neurodegenerative diseases by direct modulation of the underlying aberrant network activity. Nir received a BSc in Physics from the Israeli Institute of Technology (Technion), an MSc in Electromagnetic Engineering from the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, and a PhD in Neuroscience from Imperial College London. He then completed a postdoc training, as a Wellcome Trust Fellow, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University. Nir was recently awarded the prestige prize for Neuromodulation from the Science magazine for describing how temporal interfering of kHz electric fields can non-invasively stimulate focal neural structures deep in the brain.

Nir is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at Imperial College London and a founding fellow of the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK-DRI). The long-term goal of his research is to develop neuromodulatory interventions for neurodegenerative diseases by direct modulation of the underlying aberrant network activity. Nir received a BSc in Physics from the Israeli Institute of Technology (Technion), an MSc in Electromagnetic Engineering from the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg, and a PhD in Neuroscience from Imperial College London. He then completed a postdoc training, as a Wellcome Trust Fellow, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University. Nir was recently awarded the prestige prize for Neuromodulation from the Science magazine for describing how temporal interfering of kHz electric fields can non-invasively stimulate focal neural structures deep in the brain.

My laboratory’s research seeks to identify the organization, function, and therapeutic potential for ion channels and their binding partners in the axons and presynaptic terminals of hippocampal neurons. Our goal is to apply these insights to correct synaptic dysfunction in neurological disorders associated with aging and development. My lab utilizes molecular biology, physiology, pharmacology and quantitative optical approaches that I have developed and implemented across each phase of my career. During my thesis work in Dr. Patrik Rorsman’s laboratory at the University of Oxford, I applied combined whole-cell electrophysiology with total-internal reflection microscopy to determine how the dysfunction of Ca²⁺ channel clustering in obesity-impaired insulin granule exocytosis. My postdoctoral work with Dr. Timothy Ryan at Cornell Medical in New York City identified new mechanisms regulating Ca²⁺ channel trafficking and the plasticity of presynaptic action potentials that both strongly impact the strength of synaptic transmission.
My laboratory’s current research goal is to address a fundamental gap in the field of synaptic transmission: determine the cellular machineries modulating ion channels in axons and presynaptic terminals to control neurotransmitter release. Compromised neurotransmission is a known or suspected defect in several neurological diseases, thus a better understanding could suggest new therapeutic approaches.

My laboratory’s research seeks to identify the organization, function, and therapeutic potential for ion channels and their binding partners in the axons and presynaptic terminals of hippocampal neurons. Our goal is to apply these insights to correct synaptic dysfunction in neurological disorders associated with aging and development. My lab utilizes molecular biology, physiology, pharmacology and quantitative optical approaches that I have developed and implemented across each phase of my career. During my thesis work in Dr. Patrik Rorsman’s laboratory at the University of Oxford, I applied combined whole-cell electrophysiology with total-internal reflection microscopy to determine how the dysfunction of Ca²⁺ channel clustering in obesity-impaired insulin granule exocytosis. My postdoctoral work with Dr. Timothy Ryan at Cornell Medical in New York City identified new mechanisms regulating Ca²⁺ channel trafficking and the plasticity of presynaptic action potentials that both strongly impact the strength of synaptic transmission.
My laboratory’s current research goal is to address a fundamental gap in the field of synaptic transmission: determine the cellular machineries modulating ion channels in axons and presynaptic terminals to control neurotransmitter release. Compromised neurotransmission is a known or suspected defect in several neurological diseases, thus a better understanding could suggest new therapeutic approaches.

Dr. Jenkins is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. He received his Bachelor of Science in General Biology from the University of Michigan in 2001 and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan in 2010. He continued his training as a postdoctoral fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University under the mentorship of Dr. Vann Bennett from 2010 to 2015. His current research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular underpinnings of complex psychiatric diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders, like bipolar disorder and autism spectrum disorder. In particular, his lab is interested in the effects of human variants in ankyrin genes on neuronal cell biology and function. To address this goal, his laboratory utilizes cellular and molecular biology, mouse models, confocal microscopy, electrophysiology, and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. Dr. Jenkins is the lead investigator on a federally funded grant from the National Institutes of Health and has independent investigator awards from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, One Mind, and the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI). He has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers and has served on national and international grant review panels.

Dr. Jenkins is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. He received his Bachelor of Science in General Biology from the University of Michigan in 2001 and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Michigan in 2010. He continued his training as a postdoctoral fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Duke University under the mentorship of Dr. Vann Bennett from 2010 to 2015. His current research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular underpinnings of complex psychiatric diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders, like bipolar disorder and autism spectrum disorder. In particular, his lab is interested in the effects of human variants in ankyrin genes on neuronal cell biology and function. To address this goal, his laboratory utilizes cellular and molecular biology, mouse models, confocal microscopy, electrophysiology, and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons. Dr. Jenkins is the lead investigator on a federally funded grant from the National Institutes of Health and has independent investigator awards from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, One Mind, and the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI). He has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers and has served on national and international grant review panels.

Dr. Khakh is a Professor of Physiology and Neurobiology at UCLA. His laboratory has made important breakthroughs related to astrocyte biology. By developing new tools for glial research, they have discovered new forms of dynamic astrocyte signaling, unmasked neural circuit-specific astrocyte diversity and determined how these long overlooked cells contribute to, and in some cases drive, neurological and psychiatric phenotypes. Dr. Khakh was previously a Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge (UK), a Wellcome Trust International Prize Traveling Research Fellow at the California Institute of Technology and a Glaxo-Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Bristol. He completed his graduate work at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Khakh has received several awards for his work, including the Bill Bowman Travelling Lectureship, the EMBO Young Investigator Award, The American Physiological Society S&R Foundation Ryuji Ueno Award, the UCLA H.W. Magoun Distinguished Lectureship, and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. He is currently a Paul G. Allen Distinguished Investigator and recipient of a NINDS Outstanding Investigator Award.

Dr. Khakh is a Professor of Physiology and Neurobiology at UCLA. His laboratory has made important breakthroughs related to astrocyte biology. By developing new tools for glial research, they have discovered new forms of dynamic astrocyte signaling, unmasked neural circuit-specific astrocyte diversity and determined how these long overlooked cells contribute to, and in some cases drive, neurological and psychiatric phenotypes. Dr. Khakh was previously a Group Leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge (UK), a Wellcome Trust International Prize Traveling Research Fellow at the California Institute of Technology and a Glaxo-Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Bristol. He completed his graduate work at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Khakh has received several awards for his work, including the Bill Bowman Travelling Lectureship, the EMBO Young Investigator Award, The American Physiological Society S&R Foundation Ryuji Ueno Award, the UCLA H.W. Magoun Distinguished Lectureship, and the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award. He is currently a Paul G. Allen Distinguished Investigator and recipient of a NINDS Outstanding Investigator Award.

Dr. Ledesma scientific career in Neuroscience started during her PhD studying alterations of Tau protein in Alzheimer´s disease (Autonoma University of Madrid, Spain, 1992-1995). She continued her research as postdoctoral fellow at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany 1996-2000) and later as independent researcher at the Cavalieri Ottolenghi Scientific Institute (University of Turin, Italy, 2001-2006) and at the Biotechnology Institute VIB (KU Leuven, Belgium, 2006-2008). Dr. Ledesma investigation aimed at understanding the role of lipids in neuronal physiology and pathology. Since her incorporation to the Centro Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (Madrid, Spain) in 2008, research in her group has focused on the contribution of cholesterol and sphingolipids to neuronal physiology and on the pathological consequences of their alterations in lipid storage disorders such as Niemann Pick diseases. To this aim her laboratory uses mice in which the metabolism of these lipids has been genetically altered allowing in vivo analysis and the preclinical assessment of therapies. Their studies have unveiled the important role of sphingomyelin or cholesterol in neuronal polarity, autophagy, calcium homeostasis and pre and postsynaptic plasticity together with pharmacological and genetic strategies to treat brain pathology in these disorders. This has fostered contact with and support from patient family associations and Biotech companies.

Dr. Ledesma scientific career in Neuroscience started during her PhD studying alterations of Tau protein in Alzheimer´s disease (Autonoma University of Madrid, Spain, 1992-1995). She continued her research as postdoctoral fellow at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany 1996-2000) and later as independent researcher at the Cavalieri Ottolenghi Scientific Institute (University of Turin, Italy, 2001-2006) and at the Biotechnology Institute VIB (KU Leuven, Belgium, 2006-2008). Dr. Ledesma investigation aimed at understanding the role of lipids in neuronal physiology and pathology. Since her incorporation to the Centro Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa (Madrid, Spain) in 2008, research in her group has focused on the contribution of cholesterol and sphingolipids to neuronal physiology and on the pathological consequences of their alterations in lipid storage disorders such as Niemann Pick diseases. To this aim her laboratory uses mice in which the metabolism of these lipids has been genetically altered allowing in vivo analysis and the preclinical assessment of therapies. Their studies have unveiled the important role of sphingomyelin or cholesterol in neuronal polarity, autophagy, calcium homeostasis and pre and postsynaptic plasticity together with pharmacological and genetic strategies to treat brain pathology in these disorders. This has fostered contact with and support from patient family associations and Biotech companies.

Mark J. Millan was born in Edinburgh and studied at the University of Cambridge from which he received B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. At the Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich, work on pain, stress and endogenous opioids was recognized by the Serturner Prize. At the Institute de Recherche Servier in Paris, research in the domains of Psychiatry and Neurology led to 48 patents, many novel compounds, and characterization of the novel antidepressant, Agomelatine (Valdoxan). In 2014, he was awarded the Arien’s Prize in Pharmacology for a “life-time” contribution to CNS Research and Drug Discovery. He has 410+ publications in PubMed, an “h” factor of 84 (Scopus) and is classed (1997-2019) in the Top 0.01% of all scientists world-wide for impact. From 2007 to 2019, he was in the Executive Committee of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology and chaired the Young Scientists Workshop, 2011-2016. In 2010, he was elected to the “Faculty of a Thousand” and appointed Honorary Professor in the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology of the University of Glasgow. Apart from his major goals of improving our knowledge, treatment and prevention of brain disorders, he is committed to the protection of diverse ecosystems. For example, eponymous brain corals, governed by principles remarkably similar to those operating in the brain: environmental damage and climate change are enormous threats to mental (and physical) health.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Millan

Mark J. Millan was born in Edinburgh and studied at the University of Cambridge from which he received B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. At the Max-Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich, work on pain, stress and endogenous opioids was recognized by the Serturner Prize. At the Institute de Recherche Servier in Paris, research in the domains of Psychiatry and Neurology led to 48 patents, many novel compounds, and characterization of the novel antidepressant, Agomelatine (Valdoxan). In 2014, he was awarded the Arien’s Prize in Pharmacology for a “life-time” contribution to CNS Research and Drug Discovery. He has 410+ publications in PubMed, an “h” factor of 84 (Scopus) and is classed (1997-2019) in the Top 0.01% of all scientists world-wide for impact. From 2007 to 2019, he was in the Executive Committee of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology and chaired the Young Scientists Workshop, 2011-2016. In 2010, he was elected to the “Faculty of a Thousand” and appointed Honorary Professor in the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology of the University of Glasgow. Apart from his major goals of improving our knowledge, treatment and prevention of brain disorders, he is committed to the protection of diverse ecosystems. For example, eponymous brain corals, governed by principles remarkably similar to those operating in the brain: environmental damage and climate change are enormous threats to mental (and physical) health.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Millan

Tatsuya Osaki is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science, working with Prof. Yoshiho Ikeuchi since 2019. He received his Ph.D. for a biological engineer from University of Tsukuba in 2016. Then, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2016-2019, under supervised by Prof. Roger D. Kamm. At MIT, he focused on the microphysiological model (MPS) of neuromuscular, blood-brain barrier and neurovascular in the microfluidic device with optogenetics technology for understanding the physiological role and applying drug screening for neurodegenerative disease such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy. He is currently focusing on not only the neurodegenerative disease but also psychological disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism combined with brain organoid technology.

Tatsuya Osaki is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, Institute of Industrial Science, working with Prof. Yoshiho Ikeuchi since 2019. He received his Ph.D. for a biological engineer from University of Tsukuba in 2016. Then, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2016-2019, under supervised by Prof. Roger D. Kamm. At MIT, he focused on the microphysiological model (MPS) of neuromuscular, blood-brain barrier and neurovascular in the microfluidic device with optogenetics technology for understanding the physiological role and applying drug screening for neurodegenerative disease such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy. He is currently focusing on not only the neurodegenerative disease but also psychological disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism combined with brain organoid technology.

Dr. Reyes received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she investigated sickness behavior and neuroimmunology in a primate model. Her training continued in a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the Lab of Neuronal Structure and Function. Working in a rodent model, she examined transcriptional responses within the hypothalamus in response to different stressors. She has held faculty positions at the Scripps Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, and is now an Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Reyes is also the co-director of the Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Reyes’s lab is interested in how early life environment shapes brain development and cognition. Her work examines a range of environmental influences, including nutrition as well as exposure to inflammation, drugs of abuse or chemotherapeutic medications. Her research incorporates advanced operant testing of executive function, with cellular and molecular assessments.

Dr. Reyes received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she investigated sickness behavior and neuroimmunology in a primate model. Her training continued in a postdoctoral fellowship at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the Lab of Neuronal Structure and Function. Working in a rodent model, she examined transcriptional responses within the hypothalamus in response to different stressors. She has held faculty positions at the Scripps Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, and is now an Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Reyes is also the co-director of the Summer Undergraduate Research Program in Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Reyes’s lab is interested in how early life environment shapes brain development and cognition. Her work examines a range of environmental influences, including nutrition as well as exposure to inflammation, drugs of abuse or chemotherapeutic medications. Her research incorporates advanced operant testing of executive function, with cellular and molecular assessments.

I’m currently a post-doc researcher at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne), where I study the influence of stress and personality on human behaviors like aggression and on social skills. I’m an Engineer in Electrical and Computer sciences and obtained my PhD from the University of Lisbon in Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering where I focused most of my work on the study of brain connectivity with EEG and fMRI data. My main interests of research are currently the understanding of the stress response at the behavioral, cardiorespiratory and neural levels and the identification of individual traits predictive of stress resilience. Other research interests and previous work include neurofeedback, virtual reality, data analysis and machine learning.

I’m currently a post-doc researcher at EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne), where I study the influence of stress and personality on human behaviors like aggression and on social skills. I’m an Engineer in Electrical and Computer sciences and obtained my PhD from the University of Lisbon in Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering where I focused most of my work on the study of brain connectivity with EEG and fMRI data. My main interests of research are currently the understanding of the stress response at the behavioral, cardiorespiratory and neural levels and the identification of individual traits predictive of stress resilience. Other research interests and previous work include neurofeedback, virtual reality, data analysis and machine learning.

French and biochemist of education, Magdalena Sauvage has investigated the effect of chronic stress on memory function during her PhD thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich (Germany) in Holsboer/Steckler’s laboratory. As a postdoctoral fellow at MIT (USA) in the Graybiel’s laboratory, she studied the role of striosomes and matrix within the frame of striatal-dependent memories and investigated the contribution of medial temporal lobe (MTL) areas in familiarity and recollection as a research assistant professor at Boston University in the Eichenbaum laboratory. Since 2010, as an associate professor at the Ruhr University Bochum (Germany) and full professor/co-director of the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology Magdeburg heading the Functional Architecture of Memory Department, she focuses on elucidating the contribution of the different MTL areas to the processing of space, time and items, the retrieval of recent versus very remote memories and the reconsolidation of memory The originality of her approach is to combined human to rat translational behavioural tasks with state-of-art techniques including optogenetics, high-resolution neuroanatomical imaging based on the detection of immediate-early gene products and in-vivo electrophysiology. She has also developed some of the first fMRI compatible cognitive tasks in awake rats with the aim of further bridging human and animal recognition.

French and biochemist of education, Magdalena Sauvage has investigated the effect of chronic stress on memory function during her PhD thesis at the Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry in Munich (Germany) in Holsboer/Steckler’s laboratory. As a postdoctoral fellow at MIT (USA) in the Graybiel’s laboratory, she studied the role of striosomes and matrix within the frame of striatal-dependent memories and investigated the contribution of medial temporal lobe (MTL) areas in familiarity and recollection as a research assistant professor at Boston University in the Eichenbaum laboratory. Since 2010, as an associate professor at the Ruhr University Bochum (Germany) and full professor/co-director of the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology Magdeburg heading the Functional Architecture of Memory Department, she focuses on elucidating the contribution of the different MTL areas to the processing of space, time and items, the retrieval of recent versus very remote memories and the reconsolidation of memory The originality of her approach is to combined human to rat translational behavioural tasks with state-of-art techniques including optogenetics, high-resolution neuroanatomical imaging based on the detection of immediate-early gene products and in-vivo electrophysiology. She has also developed some of the first fMRI compatible cognitive tasks in awake rats with the aim of further bridging human and animal recognition.

Dr. Schultebraucks’s work is specialized in computational methods to examine prospective longitudinal studies with the aim to identify predictors of maladaptive stress responses. The goal of her research is to develop accurate and reliable predictive models that support clinical decision-making by complementing the idiographic perspectives of clinicians with quantitative prediction models. Based on the systematic assessment of theory and the literature, it is often plausible that important probabilistic information may be discovered from large sets of candidate variables rather than a few single factors. The integration of polygenetic, epigenetic, and “omics” data with other biological, neuropsychological and sociodemographic information is rapidly advancing the field of predictive modeling. Moreover, it is often plausible that variables contain mutual information and stand in complex and non-linear relationships with the outcome-of-interest. Machine Learning bears a high potential for building, testing and validating prediction models in this context. In her recent work, Dr. Schultebraucks developed predictive models for PTSD in diverse populations exposed to traumatic events including patients admitted to emergency departments, personnel sent to warzone as well as refugees and United Nations workforce who work in geographical regions of elevated risk for conflict and crisis.

Dr. Schultebraucks’s work is specialized in computational methods to examine prospective longitudinal studies with the aim to identify predictors of maladaptive stress responses. The goal of her research is to develop accurate and reliable predictive models that support clinical decision-making by complementing the idiographic perspectives of clinicians with quantitative prediction models. Based on the systematic assessment of theory and the literature, it is often plausible that important probabilistic information may be discovered from large sets of candidate variables rather than a few single factors. The integration of polygenetic, epigenetic, and “omics” data with other biological, neuropsychological and sociodemographic information is rapidly advancing the field of predictive modeling. Moreover, it is often plausible that variables contain mutual information and stand in complex and non-linear relationships with the outcome-of-interest. Machine Learning bears a high potential for building, testing and validating prediction models in this context. In her recent work, Dr. Schultebraucks developed predictive models for PTSD in diverse populations exposed to traumatic events including patients admitted to emergency departments, personnel sent to warzone as well as refugees and United Nations workforce who work in geographical regions of elevated risk for conflict and crisis.

Dennis Schutter (1975) studied theoretical and experimental psychology at Utrecht University. After his graduation he worked as a researcher at the National Institute of Health (Bethesda) and studied the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation in healthy volunteers. Dennis received his PhD in Experimental Psychology from Utrecht University in 2003. After completion of his degree he was awarded an NWO Veni grant on the role of the cerebellum in non-motor related functions. In 2007 he was appointed assistant professor and received a NWO Vidi grant on transcallosal inhibition and aggression. Between 2014-2019 he worked as an associate professor and principal Investigator of the brain stimulation and motivational control group at the Donders Institute in Nijmegen. In 2019 he received an NWO Vici grant and he currently works at the experimental psychology department, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University.

Dennis Schutter (1975) studied theoretical and experimental psychology at Utrecht University. After his graduation he worked as a researcher at the National Institute of Health (Bethesda) and studied the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation in healthy volunteers. Dennis received his PhD in Experimental Psychology from Utrecht University in 2003. After completion of his degree he was awarded an NWO Veni grant on the role of the cerebellum in non-motor related functions. In 2007 he was appointed assistant professor and received a NWO Vidi grant on transcallosal inhibition and aggression. Between 2014-2019 he worked as an associate professor and principal Investigator of the brain stimulation and motivational control group at the Donders Institute in Nijmegen. In 2019 he received an NWO Vici grant and he currently works at the experimental psychology department, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University.

Dr. Regina Sullivan’s laboratory at the Nathan Kline Institute and the New York University Medical Center focuses on the behavioral and neural development of infant rats, including developmental perturbations associated with early life trauma and its impact on infant neural processing of the mother and fear. She also explores how these experiences initiate the pathway to pathological brain development and vulnerabilities to later life neurobehavioral dysfunction. This research has been continuously funded by The National Institutes of Health, including a Merit Award.
Dr. Sullivan has approximately 200 manuscript, including research in Nature, Science, Nature Neuroscience and PNAS. She has served as an officer of scientific organizations including president of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology. Her service includes work on editorial boards of scientific journals and societies, as well as scientific advisory boards for foundation and numerous NIH workshops, in including the Blueprint for Developmental Neuroscience and the RDoc.

Dr. Regina Sullivan’s laboratory at the Nathan Kline Institute and the New York University Medical Center focuses on the behavioral and neural development of infant rats, including developmental perturbations associated with early life trauma and its impact on infant neural processing of the mother and fear. She also explores how these experiences initiate the pathway to pathological brain development and vulnerabilities to later life neurobehavioral dysfunction. This research has been continuously funded by The National Institutes of Health, including a Merit Award.
Dr. Sullivan has approximately 200 manuscript, including research in Nature, Science, Nature Neuroscience and PNAS. She has served as an officer of scientific organizations including president of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology. Her service includes work on editorial boards of scientific journals and societies, as well as scientific advisory boards for foundation and numerous NIH workshops, in including the Blueprint for Developmental Neuroscience and the RDoc.

Dr. Thaler studied Biochemistry at Harvard followed by obtaining an MD and PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego and the Salk Institute. After moving to the University of Washington, he completed an Internal Medicine residency and endocrinology fellowship, during which he trained with Dr. Michael Schwartz, a world leader in the study of energy homeostasis and glucose regulation. He joined the faculty of the UW in 2010 and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and the UW Diabetes Institute.
Dr. Thaler’s focus is the hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis and the alterations to this system during obesity pathogenesis. He specifically investigates the process of hypothalamic inflammation and its relationship to high fat diet-induced weight gain. He identified an important role for glial cells (astrocytes and microglia) in modulating the neuronal regulation of energy homeostasis. In particular, he discovered that glial cells promote diet-induced damage to critical hypothalamic neurons thereby increasing susceptibility to obesity and diabetes. His current work aims to identify glial factors that can be developed as novel targets for metabolic therapeutics.

Dr. Thaler studied Biochemistry at Harvard followed by obtaining an MD and PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego and the Salk Institute. After moving to the University of Washington, he completed an Internal Medicine residency and endocrinology fellowship, during which he trained with Dr. Michael Schwartz, a world leader in the study of energy homeostasis and glucose regulation. He joined the faculty of the UW in 2010 and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and the UW Diabetes Institute.
Dr. Thaler’s focus is the hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis and the alterations to this system during obesity pathogenesis. He specifically investigates the process of hypothalamic inflammation and its relationship to high fat diet-induced weight gain. He identified an important role for glial cells (astrocytes and microglia) in modulating the neuronal regulation of energy homeostasis. In particular, he discovered that glial cells promote diet-induced damage to critical hypothalamic neurons thereby increasing susceptibility to obesity and diabetes. His current work aims to identify glial factors that can be developed as novel targets for metabolic therapeutics.

Thomas Vaessen (1982) is a Postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Contextual Psychiatry and the Mind Body Research Center at KU Leuven University. His research focuses on the role of stress in the development of psychopathology and early interventions focused on coping behavior in the context of stress. He acquired a bachelor’s degree in Biological Psychology and a research master’s degree in Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience at Maastricht University. Prior to his current position, Thomas worked at the Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, University of Oxford, the International Research Training Group “Brain-behavior relationship of emotion and social cognition in schizophrenia and autism”, RWTH Aachen University, and the School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University. He was awarded a Research Grant for Doctoral Candidates of the German Academic Exchange Service and a Junior Postoctoral Fellowship of the Research Foundation – Flanders. In addition to his academic career, he worked as a psychotherapist in the Netherlands. His current research focusses on the biobehavioral stress response and subsequent recovery and the role of coping behaviors, both under laboratory conditions and in daily life.

Thomas Vaessen (1982) is a Postdoctoral research fellow at the Center for Contextual Psychiatry and the Mind Body Research Center at KU Leuven University. His research focuses on the role of stress in the development of psychopathology and early interventions focused on coping behavior in the context of stress. He acquired a bachelor’s degree in Biological Psychology and a research master’s degree in Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience at Maastricht University. Prior to his current position, Thomas worked at the Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, University of Oxford, the International Research Training Group “Brain-behavior relationship of emotion and social cognition in schizophrenia and autism”, RWTH Aachen University, and the School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University. He was awarded a Research Grant for Doctoral Candidates of the German Academic Exchange Service and a Junior Postoctoral Fellowship of the Research Foundation – Flanders. In addition to his academic career, he worked as a psychotherapist in the Netherlands. His current research focusses on the biobehavioral stress response and subsequent recovery and the role of coping behaviors, both under laboratory conditions and in daily life.

Prof. Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt, is an associate professor at the Department Head and Skin – Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, of Ghent University. She received her PhD in Psychological Sciences in 2008 at Ghent University looking at the effects of neurostimulation applied to the prefrontal cortex on cognitive control. Afterwards, she was awarded two postdoctoral fellowships with the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), and accomplished three long stays in internationally well-recognized labs to learn new biological techniques. She is currently a Principal Investigator (PI) of the Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, a multidisciplinary research unit to investigate (ab)normal stress reactivity and regulation. She has (co) authored over 90 A1 publications, with a Scopus H-index of 30. She is part of the scientific committee of the European consortium of non-invasive brain stimulation, of the educational committee of the Dutch-Flemish Postgraduate School for Research and Education in Experimental Psychopathology. Moreover, she was the organizer of - and contributor to - multiple (inter)national colloquia, and was invited for lectures at universities and scholarly institutions (with international mobility grants).

Prof. Marie-Anne Vanderhasselt, is an associate professor at the Department Head and Skin – Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, of Ghent University. She received her PhD in Psychological Sciences in 2008 at Ghent University looking at the effects of neurostimulation applied to the prefrontal cortex on cognitive control. Afterwards, she was awarded two postdoctoral fellowships with the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO), and accomplished three long stays in internationally well-recognized labs to learn new biological techniques. She is currently a Principal Investigator (PI) of the Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, a multidisciplinary research unit to investigate (ab)normal stress reactivity and regulation. She has (co) authored over 90 A1 publications, with a Scopus H-index of 30. She is part of the scientific committee of the European consortium of non-invasive brain stimulation, of the educational committee of the Dutch-Flemish Postgraduate School for Research and Education in Experimental Psychopathology. Moreover, she was the organizer of - and contributor to - multiple (inter)national colloquia, and was invited for lectures at universities and scholarly institutions (with international mobility grants).

Prof. William Wisden, BA, PhD, FRSB, FMedSci.
Biographical Details:
1986 BA, Zoology - Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge.
1989 PhD, Molecular Neuroscience, University of Cambridge.
1990-1992 EMBO Long-term Fellowship, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
1993-2001 Group Leader, MRC LMB, Cambridge.
2001-2005 Group Leader, IZN, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
2005-2009 Professor & Chair of Neuroscience, Head of Neurobiology programme, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen.
2009- Chair of Molecular Neuroscience, Dept of Life Sciences, Imperial College London.
Speciality/discipline: neurobiology
Principal research topic: establishing neural circuitry involved in sleep and sedation.
Principal research technique: mouse genetics and physiology.

Prof. William Wisden, BA, PhD, FRSB, FMedSci.
Biographical Details:
1986 BA, Zoology - Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge.
1989 PhD, Molecular Neuroscience, University of Cambridge.
1990-1992 EMBO Long-term Fellowship, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
1993-2001 Group Leader, MRC LMB, Cambridge.
2001-2005 Group Leader, IZN, University of Heidelberg, Germany.
2005-2009 Professor & Chair of Neuroscience, Head of Neurobiology programme, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen.
2009- Chair of Molecular Neuroscience, Dept of Life Sciences, Imperial College London.
Speciality/discipline: neurobiology
Principal research topic: establishing neural circuitry involved in sleep and sedation.
Principal research technique: mouse genetics and physiology.

Eric S. Wohleb, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Wohleb obtained his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Ohio State University, working in the labs of Dr. Jonathan Godbout and Dr. John Sheridan at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. He then continued his training as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant and Associate Research Scientist under the mentorship of Dr. Ronald Duman in the Division of Molecular Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. These experiences provided Dr. Wohleb with unique training in neuroimmunology, neurobiology of psychiatric disease, and neuropharmacology. Current research in the Wohleb Lab seeks to integrate these perspectives, to better understand the role of neuron-microglia interactions in physiological and pathological conditions. To this end, the Wohleb Lab uses cutting-edge molecular and cellular approaches to study microglia in models of chronic stress, antidepressant treatment, and stroke. Primary findings from this research will be used to guide development of innovative therapies for psychiatric and neurological disease.

Eric S. Wohleb, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Wohleb obtained his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Ohio State University, working in the labs of Dr. Jonathan Godbout and Dr. John Sheridan at the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research. He then continued his training as a Postdoctoral Research Assistant and Associate Research Scientist under the mentorship of Dr. Ronald Duman in the Division of Molecular Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. These experiences provided Dr. Wohleb with unique training in neuroimmunology, neurobiology of psychiatric disease, and neuropharmacology. Current research in the Wohleb Lab seeks to integrate these perspectives, to better understand the role of neuron-microglia interactions in physiological and pathological conditions. To this end, the Wohleb Lab uses cutting-edge molecular and cellular approaches to study microglia in models of chronic stress, antidepressant treatment, and stroke. Primary findings from this research will be used to guide development of innovative therapies for psychiatric and neurological disease.