Derya Sargin
Assistant Professor, PI
Derya received her BSc degree in Molecular Biology & Genetics from Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey and joined the International Max Planck Research School graduate program in Neurosciences in Goettingen, Germany. Her PhD work with Dr. Hannelore Ehrenreich at the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine identified molecular and cellular mechanisms contributing to the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric diseases and led to the development of novel and effective treatment strategies for patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disease. She completed her first postdoctoral training with Dr. Sheena Josselyn at the Hospital for Sick Children on emotional memory formation and allocation. She then moved onto Dr. Evelyn Lambe’s lab at the University of Toronto where she identified novel chronic stress-induced regulatory mechanisms in serotonergic neurotransmission. She started her lab in July 2019 at the Department of Psychology, University of Calgary and holds membership in the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute.
Naila Jamani
Lab Manager
Naila completed both her BSc and MSc in Psychology at the University of Calgary, as she has been doing behavioural neuroscience research for four years. Naila has also completed both her honors and master’s theses in Dr. Michael Antle’s chronobiology lab. Her master’s project, in particular, investigated the effects of modulating levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in Syrian hamsters utilizing acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and how doing so could affect circadian rhythms in a nonphotic context. She also investigated whether changes observed in circadian rhythms due to these inhibitors were caused by differences in acetylcholine activity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). She is currently a research assistant in both the Sargin and Antle labs, and has experience working with multiple types of biological models, including hamsters, mice, rats, and drosophila. Outside of the lab, Naila enjoys painting, reading, and watching Netflix! She is also a huge Marvel and Harry Potter fan and will watch those movies in her spare time as well.
Mio Tsutsui
Research Associate
Mio received her B.Sc and D.V.M at the Nihon University School and Veterinary Medicine. After working as a Research Associate in the Department of Pathology, she immigrated to the United States and soon after to Canada. Mio worked as a Research Technician in the laboratories of Dr. Quentin Pittman and Dr. Jaideep Bains at the University of Calgary. In March 2022, Mio joined the Sargin lab as a Research Associate. Having expertise with stereotaxic injections, jugular vein implantation, CSF sampling, histopathology, and cell culture systems, she is an asset to a variety of subjects within the lab. In her free time, Mio enjoys teaching Japanese and gardening when the weather permits in Calgary.
Dmitrii Pavlov
Postdoctoral Fellow
Dmitrii received his BSc and MSc degrees at the Moscow State University in Russia. He obtained substantial training in numerous neuroscience labs at the Wurzburg University (Germany), Liege University (Belgium) and Sechenov University (Russia). His PhD project in Dr. Klaus-Peter Lesch’s lab at the Maastricht University (Maastricht, the Netherlands) focused on the neuroinflammatory mechanisms of stress vulnerability in rodent models of emotional stress. He identified a new role for GSK-3 as the mediator of pro-inflammatory changes underlying stress vulnerability and resilience. He characterized how the antioxidant properties of thiamine substitutes affect neuroinflammation in key limbic structures. After a postdoc focused on drug screening for ciliopathies in Dr. Jiami Guo’s lab at UCalgary, Dmitrii joined the Sargin lab to pursue his research interests in chronic stress. His current research investigates how developmental and social stress affect neural circuit activity. Outside of the lab, Dmitrii enjoys hiking and weightlifting.
Raksha Ramkumar
Graduate Student
Raksha received her BSc in Neuroscience from the University of Lethbridge. She completed a summer research project in Dr. Robbin Gibb's lab on the effects of preconception paternal chronic nicotine intake on anxiety-like behaviour of rat offspring. She proceeded to complete her honours thesis in Dr. Sergio Pellis' lab, which studied the differences in associations of rat ultrasonic vocalizations with play behaviour as a result of rearing experiences. Her current MSc project in the Sargin lab studies the effects of early life chronic stress on brain-wide activity and circuitry, and how it consequently leads to long-lasting depressive and anxiety-like behaviours. Furthermore, she is looking at whether such behaviours could be mitigated and potentially overcome by experimentally manipulating the stress-induced altered neuronal circuit activity. In her spare time, Raksha likes to sing and play the piano, and does advanced karate. She aims to become a physician while continuing research tailored towards pediatric brain/mental health.
Matt Dawson
Graduate Student
Matt received his BSc in Psychology from University of Calgary. In his final year, he completed his honours thesis in Richard Dyck’s lab. He investigated the effect of ketamine on vesicular zinc in the spinal cord by adapting a hydraulic spinal cord extrusion technique to perform histochemical analyses of free zinc levels in spinal cord. His current research in the Sargin lab uses fiber photometry and optogenetic techniques to examine the neural systems that regulate social behaviour. Outside of the lab, Matt trains on an Olympic weightlifting team and enjoys hiking with his two Labrador Retrievers. He is planning to go on to complete a PhD and pursue a career in behavioural neuroscience research.
Sakib Khan
Graduate Student
Originally from Bangladesh, Sakib received his BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology and BA in Psychology with minors in Biochemistry and Statistics from Winona State University in Minnesota, USA. During his undergraduate years, he worked at Dr. Jacob Hine’s Neural Development Lab on manipulating surface proteins to investigate neuron subtype specific myelin sheath targeting. In his current research in the Sargin Lab, he uses patch clamp electrophysiology and immunohistochemistry to investigate the progression of tau-related pathophysiology in serotonin neurons. Outside of the lab, Sakib enjoys hiking, skiing, cooking, and watching anime.
Moriah Edge-Partington
Research Assistant
Moriah received her BA (honours) in Psychology from the University of Calgary. In 2020, Moriah joined the Sargin lab and became involved in a project examining the effects of early life stress (ELS) and how this contributes to long-lasting anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour and impacts neural circuitry in adulthood. Moriah has presented her research findings at several conferences and received the top poster presentation award at the UBC Neuroscience Undergraduate Research Conference. In summer 2021, Moriah received the Branch Out Neurological Foundation Undergraduate Research Grant to support her original study exploring the behavioural effects of a prebiotic treatment in mice exposed to ELS. Moriah is currently an MEd Counselling Psychology student at the University of Lethbridge. She came back to the Sargin lab in 2022 summer to finish her projects on the effects of ELS on brain-wide serotonin circuitry. During her spare time, Moriah enjoys reading and spending time in the mountains. After graduation, she aims to become a registered psychologist and complete further training in the area of clinical neuropsychology.
Alumni
Vanessa Rae
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Vanessa is receiving her BA degree in Psychology from the University of Calgary in Summer 2020. She completed an honours equivalent project in the Sargin lab investigating the mechanisms of postnatal stress in mice. She joined the University of Calgary to continue her research interests and pursue her Master’s in Counselling. She currently works for Strength Counselling Services and is becoming insured as a life coach while attending school. Vanessa’s passion is finding ways to heal and guide those who are struggling day in and day out with mental illness, emotional distress, and trauma. Primarily, Vanessa’s interest is in eating disorders and she wishes to dedicate her life to helping others become anchored in self-love, recovery, and health. In her spare time Vanessa loves to stay active, practice yoga, and surround herself with family. Her end goal is to become a psychologist that specializes in eating disorders or childhood trauma.
Paul Siska
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Paul is completing his BSc in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary. After his first year, he was in a psychology lab investigating the influence of parent narratives on pediatric pain. After joining the Sargin lab in July 2021, he commenced his honors thesis project on the impact of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins on serotonergic systems implicated in preclinical Alzheimer’s behaviors, including depression and anxiety. Outside of the lab, Paul engages in volunteering and professional activities that advocate for youth and disabled groups, including patient volunteering in Alberta Children's Hospital units. He hopes to continue his work with these populations by pursuing family medicine. In his free time, Paul enjoys skiing and spending time with his family.
Aisouda Savadlou
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Aisouda is a Neuroscience student at the University of Calgary. Her first research experience was on the effects of Ibuprofen in water bodies on neuronal regeneration of the Lymnaea stagnalis. Additionally, Aisouda completed her first summer studentship at the Ungrin lab and worked on Age-Related Macular Degeneration treatments. Her interest in mental health research led her to the PsychPGX lab, where she studied the association between CYP2C19 enzymatic activity, hippocampal volume and behaviour. Aisouda is currently investigating the impact of loneliness on cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Reha Sandhu
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Reha Sandhu is an undergraduate student, currently in her fourth year of BSc (Hons.) in Psychology at the University of Calgary. Her main research interests lie in the areas of developmental and behavioural neuroscience, particularly the detrimental physical and psychological effects as a result of exposure to early childhood stress. In Spring 2020, Reha began working as a Summer Research Student in the Sargin lab, where she will also be completing her honors thesis. Reha’s ongoing research and thesis utilize a rodent model to explore the effects of early life stress on cognitive and emotional behavioural impairments in adulthood. Building on her knowledge and research experience, Reha hopes to continue her education in the area of clinical psychology.
Jen Park (Current position: MD student at the University of Calgary)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Jen began her BSc in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary in 2017 and is preparing for her honours thesis in the 2020-2021 year. To diversify her degree, she is also a student of the Arts and Science Honours Academy and participated in a study abroad exchange at Korea University in 2019. Jen joined the Sargin lab in January 2020 with her initial work on investigating social behaviour in mice. Currently, she is involved in a summer NSERC award funded project on perceived loneliness and social isolation as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease in humans and animal models. Outside of the lab and classroom, Jen volunteers as a pediatric emergency medicine research assistant at Alberta Children's Hospital and is involved in various on-campus initiatives for student engagement. Expanding on these experiences, she hopes to pursue further studies in medicine upon graduation.
Rafa Abbas (Current position: Medical student, University of Calgary)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Rafa is receiving her BSc in Biological Sciences and Psychology from the University of Calgary in Fall 2021. Previously, she was in a mitochondrial genetics lab, looking at the role of NAD+ in mitochondrial fusion and dietary therapy of Autism Spectrum Disorder. She joined the Sargin lab in May 2021, where she is involved in a NSERC USRA funded project on the impact of serotonergic dysfunction via exacerbated tau pathology on preclinical Alzheimer's disease behaviours, including anxiety and depression. Outside of the lab, Rafa volunteers as a Crisis Line worker at the Distress Centre and leads many on and off-campus programs related to mental health, education and student engagement. She also enjoys creating videos, art and baked goods. Recently, Rafa has joined the Cumming School of Medicine Class of 2024, bringing her closer to her goal of becoming a psychiatrist or pediatrician.
Sampson Law (Current position: Compliance Administrator, Health Care Project Manager, University of Calgary)
Lab Manager
Sampson completed his BSc in Zoology at the University of Calgary and an MSc in Physiology and Cell Biology at the University of Alberta. His MSc thesis focused on neuronal differentiation and development of electrical excitability in flatworm stem cells. Sampson has expertise in neuroscience, biochemistry, immunology, virology, microscopy, and other basic lab techniques. He has worked in a core facility producing custom antibody reagents and managed an infectious disease facility working with viruses and prions. Sampson is currently the lab manager for the Sargin, Epp, and Teskey labs, and also works as a project manager for the Physician Learning Program.