Background: I was born and raised in Iran and immigrated to the U.S. for college. I studied psychology at Santa Barbara City College before transferring to UCSD. During my studies, I have always been driven by my fascination for the intricacies of our brain, and especially how it gives rise to mind! I had the privilege to become a scholar in the STARTneuro program, and subsequently join research labs, where I could eagerly fuse theory and practice in the pursuit of unraveling the brain’s mysteries!
Current Research: In the Allen Lab, I collaborated with two postdoctoral scholars on two different projects. In one project, we investigated the possibility of delaying the onset and progression of severe neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease by overexpressing Glypican 5 in hippocampal astrocytes. In the other project that aimed to discover biological pathways that can be manipulated to mitigate age-related motor decline, I conducted kinematic analysis of fine motor movements in adult and aged mice. My research in the Voytek Lab involves computational neuroscience techniques, such as power spectral parameterization, and animal surgery to understand the mechanisms that link complex electrophysiological interactions in cellular networks to broader neurobiological processes in developmental disorders.
Post-graduation journey: My post-graduation journey will certainly involve more neuroscience research, either as an undergraduate research assistant or within a neuroscience graduate program. My ultimate goal is to pursue a PhD and serve as a principal investigator with my own research lab. My vision is to collaborate with fellow researchers to develop research that not only deepens our understanding of the brain but also drives meaningful progress for health and society.
What are you doing now? I am currently working on my applications for graduate programs, but at the same time learning stereotactic surgery to move my research in the Voytek Lab forward. With the Fall quarter coming to the end, I am looking forward to my last quarter at UCSD as an undergraduate student!
A few words about STARTneuro: As a student from an underrepresented community that grew up with limited access to educational resources, I found STARTneuro program transformative. Not only did it provide extensive training in critical neuroscience research methodologies, but it also introduced me, for the first time, to the invaluable experience of having a mentor! Additionally, it provided me with the opportunity to hear talks by leading researchers, which broadened my perspective on the field and showed me the vast research opportunities in neuroscience. Upon transferring to UCSD, this program played a crucial role in initiating my engagement with the research projects that I am working on today!