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, my focus is on educational programs in neuroscience for middle school and high school students. As Director of the MobileMinds program, I lead a team of postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students in engaging with students particularly at Title I schools in underserved communities across Palm Beach County and beyond. We hope to inspire the next generation of young scientists and encourage and empower them in their education journey to pursue STEM career pathways.
Sarah J. Cohen, Ph.D.
Mentor: Robert Stackman, Ph.D.
Email: scohen39@my.fau.edu
My research investigates the brain mechanisms underlying complex behaviors such a learning and memory. With a focus on the hippocampal formation, I employ multiple neuropharmacological and molecular techniques to examine how the brain stores and represents information. Read more about my research.
Dan Nemeth, Ph.D.
Mentor: Ning Quan, Ph.D.
Email: nemethd@fau.edu
Daniel Nemeth, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Ning Quan, Ph.D in the College of Medicine. Dr. Nemeth received his doctorate from The Ohio State University where he researched unique and cell-type specific signaling pathways associated with prolonged infection and persistent neuroinflammation. At OSU, he focused his research 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. Nemeth’s 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.
Matthew S. Schrier, Ph.D.
Mentor: Ning Quan, Ph.D.
Email: mschrier@health.fau.edu
I am interested in how serotonin uptake is modified by inflammation in models of depression and fatigue. Increasing extracellular serotonin levels in the brain is believed to initiate the effects of many antidepressants. My research seeks to elucidate the contribution of various brain cell types (particularly glial cells) in regulating extracellular serotonin in response to pro-inflammatory mediators, such as the cytokine interleukin-1. I also aim to understand the mechanisms by which this may occur.
Katarzyna Targowska-Duda, Ph.D.
Mentor: Larry Toll, Ph.D.
Email: ktargowskaduda@health.fau.edu
My research focuses on the role of NOP (Nociceptin OPioid) and nicotinic receptors in migraine. Using a nitroglycerin mouse model of migraine I can effectively mimic symptoms observed in migraineurs. I am focusing on the evaluation of NOP and nicotinic ligands effects on parameters of sensory (sensitivity of paw) and affective (conditioned place avoidance) migraine pain as well as light aversion in mice. I am also interested in elucidating the function of these receptors in microglia system in trigeminal ganglion and trigeminal nucleus caudalis under acute and chronic migraine conditions. My two-year postdoctoral position at Dr. Toll’s lab is funded by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education grant "Mobility Plus"(1662/1/MOB/V/17/2018/0).
Idaly Velez-Uribe, Ph.D.
Mentor: Monica Rosselli, Ph.D.
Email: ivelezur@fau.edu
I work with Dr. Monica Rosselli to collaborate with the 1FloridaADRC (https://1floridaadrc.org), one of the NIH's Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRC). My research focus is to explore methods to evaluate and diagnose individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds in a sensitive manner, including cognitively normal individuals and those presenting early signs of neurodegenerative diseases, to find effective methods for early diagnosis treatment. This framework emphasizes the role of cultural factors, quality and level of education, and language experience (i.e., bilingualism) in assessments and interventions on the progression of abnormal aging in culturally and ethnically diverse samples; including the complex interplay between bilingualism, cultural factors, cognitive decline, and biological markers of neurodegeneration.