Luke Brezovec
Occupation:
Neuroscience PhD Candidate at Stanford University
Preoccupation: Landscape architecture photography
I am interested in how neural circuits communicate with each other. Specifically, what is the structure of the interface between brain areas that process visual information and those that ultimately control behavior? To explore this question, I record the neural activity of the entire brain of the fruit fly, drosophila, while it explores virtual worlds.
Arnaldo Carreira-Rosario
Occupation: Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuroscience at Stanford University
Arnaldo grew up in Puerto Rico. He did his Bachelors at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. He then went to UT-Southwestern in Dallas, Texas to study how RNA-binding proteins influence germline stem cell differentiation guided by Michael Buszczak. As a post-doc, Arnaldo is training to become an expert in systems neurodevelopment under the mentorship of Chris Doe and Tom Clandinin. He is particularly interested in how activity within short periods of time during nervous system development affects circuit function for the entire life of the organism. Outside the lab he likes to play soccer, try new restaurants and visit friends and family around the US, Puerto Rico and Turkey.
Jesse Isaacman-Beck
Occupation: Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuroscience at Stanford University
Jesse received his B.S. in Chemistry from Haverford College in 2004. After a brief stint teaching Chemistry with Peace Corps Tanzania, he worked with Dr. Ronald Collman at the University of Pennsylvania to define the cell and molecular mechanisms underlying HIV transmission and associated pathogenesis in the brain. In graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, he changed focus to work with Dr. Michael Granato to determine how nerves regenerate in vivo. He spent hours/days/weeks/years mesmerized in front of the microscope staring at larval zebrafish as their nerves (sometimes) regrew. In the Clandinin lab, Jesse currently uses the exquisite genetic tools available in Drosophila to define the molecular mechanisms governing neural circuit stability. Jesse also loves to teach and mentor, and he advocates for Stanford Postdocs with the Stanford Postdoc Association. When he needs to get away, he hops on his bicycle and tries to chase younger guys like John and older guys like Tom up mountains – usually he can’t keep up.
