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.
Nahid Rouhi
Postdoctoral Researcher, Harley Hotchkiss-Samuel Weiss Postdoctoral Fellow
Nahid obtained her BSc degree in Biology from Kurdistan University, Iran. Her passion for neuroscience led her to join the Neuroscience Research Center of Medical Sciences at Hamadan University, Iran, where she investigated the role of glutamatergic receptors in the reward pathway using conditioned place preference. Nahid joined the Mirnajafizadeh lab at Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran, as a PhD student in 2014. During her PhD, she unraveled the impact of dopamine on hippocampus-dependent synaptic plasticity using electrophysiological and behavioural techniques in animal models of epilepsy. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Sargin lab, Nahid is investigating the effects of early life stress on serotonin physiology. Her work aims to shed light on the intricate mechanisms underlying stress and complex behaviours, ultimately contributing to the understanding of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Shaista Jabeen
Postdoctoral Researcher, ACHRI STEP Postdoctoral Fellow
Shaista completed her undergraduate studies at Patna Women’s College, India, earning a BSc degree in Industrial Microbiology. She then pursued her MSc degree in marine biotechnology from Goa University, India. During her Master's program, she developed a keen interest in biophysics and the intricate mechanisms of neural conduction, particularly the resemblance of a neuron to a cable. This fascination served as a strong motivation for her to join the lab of Dr. Vatsala Thirumalai at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, India, which focused on neuroscience research using the larval zebrafish model. In her Ph.D. work, Shaista investigated the roles of gap junctions in chemical synaptogenesis using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology and electron microscopy. Following her PhD, Shaista pursued a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Vidita Vaidya's Lab at TIFR Mumbai, India. During this time, she explored the effects of serotonergic psychedelics on hippocampal plasticity using in vivo electrophysiology. Currently, in Dr. Sargin’s lab, Shaista is delving into the impact of early-onset serotonin dysfunction on the neurobehavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. Additionally, she is investigating potential treatment interventions using serotonergic psychedelics. In her personal life, Shaista enjoys various activities such as reading books, painting, and cooking but above all, she cherishes spending time with her little girl.
Hoda Ranbar
Postdoctoral Researcher, Eyes High Postdoctoral Fellow
Hoda obtained her MSc degree in medical physiology from Isfahan University of Medical Science and completed her PhD in neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Mohammad Shabani at the Kerman Neuroscience Center, Iran. During her PhD, she focused on characterizing changes in the electrophysiological activity of Purkinje cells in an animal model of cerebellar ataxia using patch clamp techniques. She gained extensive experience in various behavioural, electrophysiological, and molecular techniques through the development of numerous research projects. In the Sargin lab, Hoda is investigating the role of cerebellar serotonin circuits in a mouse model of Autism Spectrum Disorder. In her personal life, Hoda loves engaging in a wide range of activities like doing DIY projects, immersing herself in the world of fiction through reading books, exploring new cultures and places through travel, and playing basketball.
Matt Dawson
PhD Student, Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship Awardee
Matt received his BSc in Psychology from University of Calgary. After successfully defending his MSc thesis in the Sargin lab, Matt continued to pursue his PhD in September 2022. Matt uses in vivo calcium imaging, optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques and machine-learning based behavioural analysis to examine the neural systems that regulate social interaction. Outside of the lab, Matt trains on an Olympic weightlifting team and enjoys hiking with his two Labrador Retrievers.
Juan Uribe Isaza
Undergraduate Honours Student, Alberta Innovates Fellowship Awardee
Juan is currently working towards the completion of his neuroscience undergraduate degree. Additionally to his neuroscience major, he is also has a minor in health and society. In the past, he worked with Dr. Zahinoor Ismail and his lab to investigate non-cognitive risk factors for dementia in a clinical setting. This year, Juan completed his honours thesis with the Sargin lab. His project focused on the behavioural changes elicited by tau expression in the dorsal raphe nucleus. Moving onwards, he will continue to develop this project. During his free time, he enjoys spinning, reading books pertaining to activism, and playing video games from time to time. He is planning to continue pursuing behavioural neuroscience research in graduate school.
Amisha Gill
Undergraduate Honours Student, NSERC-USRA Awardee
Amisha is currently completing her BSc in Neuroscience from the University of Calgary. She is an NSERC-USRA and an honours student in the Sargin lab. Her project is focused on the effects of limited bedding and nesting early life stress on maternal behaviour. She previously completed summer research in Eric Smith’s lab where she investigated the interrelation between lung function and white matter hyperintensities in the brain. In the summer of 2021, she worked in Richard Wilson’s lab to investigate a neurogenic approach in the prevention of acute allergy-induced asthmatic attacks. Outside of the lab, Amisha enjoys working out, hiking and baking.
Abhay Parmar
Undergraduate Honours Student, Psychology
Abhay is working towards completing his Bachelor of Science in Psychology. In 2022, he worked as a research volunteer in Dr. Kopala-Sibley’s lab helping conduct memory tasks, baseline EEG scans, and TMS for mother-daughter dyads. He also worked in Dr. Shivji’s lab to explore the efficacy of Neurofeedback in treating a wide array of neurological conditions. This year, Abhay is completing his honours thesis in the Sargin lab. His project focuses on introducing an intersex social interaction paradigm in mice, while recording from hcrt projection neurons using fiber photometry. Outside the lab, Abhay enjoys swimming, listening to music, and writing. He hopes to pursue clinical psychology in graduate school with a focus on neuropsychology.
Sampson Law - Lab manager (now: PhD student, Epidemiology, University of Calgary)
Paul Siska - Honours student (now: MD student, University of British Columbia)
Aisouda Savadlou - Honours student (now: MD student, University of Calgary)
Reha Sandhu - Honours student (now: Graduate student, Educational Psychology, UCalgary)
Jen Park - Honours student (now: MD student, University of Alberta)
Rafa Abbas - Honours student (now: MD student, University of Calgary)
Dmitrii Pavlov - Postdoctoral fellow (now: Industry, Montreal)
Raksha Ramkumar - MSc student (now: Research Assistant, University of Calgary)
Moriah Edge-Partington - Research assistant (now: Registered Provisional Psychologist)
Sakib Khan - MSc student (now: Research Assistant, University of Calgary)
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