P-SPINE Organizing Committee
Postdoctoral Organizing Committee
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Dr. Jadwiga ‘Jani’ Bilchak is a postdoctoral researcher in the Kayser Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and other neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically in relation to sensory function. Using high-throughput behavior assays, in-vivo Ca2+ imaging, and the genetic manipulations available in the Drosophila model, she investigates how sensory abnormalities are linked to social behavior and sleep.
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Dr. Namba a first-year postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Jacqueline Barker in the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine. Broadly, his research interests revolve around how co-morbidities modulate the neurobehavioral underpinnings of substance use disorders. In particular, he is interested in how HIV and drugs of abuse interact to dysregulate motivated behavior and associated neural mechanisms. Currently, he is utilizing a mouse model of HIV to understand how chronic HIV infection impacts cocaine-seeking behavior and neuroimmune signaling within the brain's reward system.
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Dr. Rashid is a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Yuanquan Song's lab at CHOP. Her work focuses on understanding how glia facilitate axon regeneration following injury.
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Dr. Zoodsma is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Yuanquan Song at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). His research focuses on the role of electrophysiological changes, notably alterations in calcium permeability, in axon regeneration
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Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on understanding how representations of sensory and motor information in higher-order brain areas are modulated by the locus coeruleus to support flexible decision-making.
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Dr Jessica Shaw is a Research Associate in Dr Mariella De Biasi's Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. Her work focuses on environmental and genetic factors that contribute to substance use disorders.
Our Executive Committee represents the breadth of neuroscience interests in the Philadelphia area:
Marc Fuccillo
Neuroscience, UPenn
My lab studies neural circuits that mediate motor control and reward-guided actions.
Ewa Bomba-Warczak, Physiology, UPenn
My lab studies how the stability of mitochondrial components contributes to cell’s health and age-dependent degeneration.
Matt Kayser
Psychiatry, UPenn
My lab studies the regulation and function of sleep during brain development.
Amber Alhadeff
Monell
My lab studies the neural control of motivated behavior, with an emphasis on gut-brain signaling and food intake control.
Tim Mosca
Neuroscience, Jefferson
My lab studies the molecular and genetic pathways that underlie synapse formation, maturation, and organization.
Ingrid Olson
Psychology & Neuroscience, Temple
My lab studies memory, decision making, social cognition, and the intersection of these processes.
Lisa Briand
Psychology & Neuroscience, Temple
My lab studies the molecular mechanisms driving drug relapse behavior with a focus on stress, sex differences, and the glutamate system.
Silvia Fossati
Neural Sciences, Temple
My lab focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of cerebrovascular disorders and the cell-death mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, traumatic brain injury, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Denise Garcia
Biology, Drexel
My lab studies astrocytes, with a particular emphasis on their roles in mediating the establishment and maintenance of neural circuits in health and disease.
Maja Bucan
Genetics, UPenn
My lab studies the genetic basis of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. On this committee, I also represent the Biomedical Postdoctoral Program at UPenn.