Peter Penzes, PhD
Director, Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment
Ruth and Evelyn Dunbar Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Professor of Physiology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
email : p-penzes@northwestern.edu
Research Assistant Professors
Marc Forrest, PhD, Research Assistant Professor
Research Assistant Professor
PhD Molecular Neurobiology
Cardiff University, UK
I’m interested in the functional analysis of rare variants that predispose to neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism schizophrenia and epilepsy. I use unbiased omic methods to discover novel disease pathways and test these in transgenic mouse, primary neuronal culture and stem cell models.
email : marc.forrest@northwestern.edu
Sehyoun Yoon, PhD, Research Assistant Professor
Research Assistant Professor
PhD from Korea University
Project : Synaptic roles of scaffolding proteins as key factors for psychiatric risk factors.
email : sehyoun.yoon@northwestern.edu
Colleen Zaccard, PhD, Research Assistant Professor
Research Assistant Professor
PhD Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, USA
My research focuses on transient, thin, membranous protrusions of dendritic spines, termed spinules, as well as neuro-immune communication during health and neuro-psychiatric diseases. I currently utilize cutting-edge, enhanced-resolution, live-cell microscopy to investigate the dynamics, regulation, and function of spinule and/or membrane nanotube-driven interactions between microglia and neurons.
email: colleen.zaccard@northwestern.edu
Euan Parnell, PhD, Research Assistant Professor
Euan Parnell, PhD
PhD, Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Glasgow
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience
Co-Founder, Synaptomed Inc.
Main Publication : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322322017188
I generate drug discovery cascades to identify regulators of synaptic plasticity and neuronal activity. Using high throughput techniques, such as biochemical screening, neuronal activity/calcium imaging and high content morphological screening I can discover and develop drugs with utility in neurological disorders. Current efforts aim to characterize our first-in-class drugs in a range of preclinical models, including human stem-cell derived neuronal models of schizophrenia and mouse models of pain, autism and epilepsy.
Postdoctoral researchers
Nicolas Piguel PhD
PhD Neuroscience
University of Bordeaux, France
I’m interested in gene mutations implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders and their link with environmental stress. With mouse model and induced neuronal cells derived from human, I analyze role of those genes and how mutations can affect brain functions.
email : nicolas.piguel@northwestern.edu
Marc Dos Santos, PhD
PhD from the Brain-Cognition-Behaviour Doctoral School
University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France
I am interested in the neuronal network dysfunctions in schizophrenia. Using proteomic analysis and two-photon calcium imaging, my goal is to characterize the complex molecular mechanisms leading to behavioral alterations in psychiatric disorders.
email : marc.santos@northwestern.edu
Georgiana Stan, PhD
Lab Manager
Blair Eckman
Lab Technician
email : blair.eckman@northwestern.edu
Research Technologists
Jessica Christiansen
Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience
Loyola University Chicago
email: Jessica.Christiansen@northwestern.edu
Alumni Postdocs
Lola Martin-de-Saavedra, PhD
PhD Pharmacology and Physiology, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain
My research interests involve the physiopathology of neuropsychiatric disorders at a molecular and cellular level, as well as the discovery of new pharmacological tools or targets to cure these diseases.
email : lola.mds@northwestern.edu
Lorenza Culotta, PhD
Ph.D. Experimental and Clinical Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
My research interests are focused on the use of human stem cell-derived neurons to model brain development and to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders like autism and schizophrenia.
email : lorenza.culotta@northwestern.edu
