AR-issuu book PNI draft(5-1-23)

Princeton

Neuroscience Institute

Understanding behavior at all levels of function, from systems to cells, is one of the great challenges of modern biology At Princeton University, faculty with research interests in neuroscience can be found in many departments, including Applied Math, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Molecular Biology, Physics, Philosophy and Psychology. This diversity mirrors the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary neuroscience research and provides a rich set of opportunities for research and training in neuroscience http://neuroscience.princeton.edu

Theory,modeling,and experimentationusingthe mostadvancedtechnologies.

Sincerely,

Mala Murthy, Ph.D.

Director, Princeton Neuroscience Institute

Karol and Marnie Marcin ’96 Professor of Neuroscience HHMI Faculty Scholar

"Quote."

About the Princeton Neuroscience Institute

The Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) was created in embryonic form in the spring of 2004 under the joint leadership of Jonathan Cohen, Robert Bendheim and Lynn Bendheim Thoman Professor in Neuroscience, and David Tank, the Henry Hillman Professor in Molecular Biology.

In the fall of 2005, a proposal prepared by the two was scrutinized and endorsed by an external review committee of leading scientists from around the country The Institute was approved by University trustees in the spring of 2006

As of July 1, 2022, Mala Murthy has been named the new Director of PNI Professor Murthy is the Karol and Marnie Marcin ’96 Professor of Neuroscience

The Institute places particular emphasis on the close connection between theory, modeling, and experimentation using the most advanced technologies

The Neuroscience Building

In the fall of 2006, Rafael Moneo was chosen to design a two-building complex to house the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and the Department of Psychology. Work began in the spring of 2010, and the building was occupied in December 2013. The building covers 248,000 square feet and meets LEED Silver standards

The building complex is part of a natural sciences neighborhood at the University, positioned immediately adjacent to the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics and the Department of Molecular Biology, and across the street from the departments of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry The building features state-ofthe-art research and teaching facilities, including space for three MRI scanners for neuroimaging, MEG, and cutting edge optical imaging and microscopy facilities

PNI Research Areas Systems & Circuits

Human Cognitive

Molecular & Cellular

Computation & Theory

The Princeton Neuroscience Institute is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for researchers from all backgrounds Backgrounds include but are not limited to political views, religion, national or ethnic origin, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, research discipline, history of conviction or incarceration, socioeconomic status, and educational history. We strive to create an environment that makes interactions and collaborations enjoyable and fulfilling while also eliminating discrimination, harassment, exploitation, and intimidation. We affirm that promoting diversity is an active process that requires engagement.

We seek to promote awareness of perspectives that may have been previously inaccessible (or less prominent) to groups traditionally represented in scientific research environments We affirm that diversification requires cultural, experiential, and ideological representation as well as increasing the number of researchers and students from underrepresented groups We aim to foster an environment where various perspectives are valued because they serve to advance the Institute’s academic excellence and intellectual capacity, and will contribute to a more productive and respectful professional environment.

Empowering Diversity

Promoting Scientific Equity at PNI (EPSP)

EPSP aspires to build and support an inclusive, accessible, and diverse community for underrepresented groups and their allies at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. EPSP aims to empower and support equity amongst undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, and research staff from first-generation, low-Income, and racial and/or ethnic underrepresented groups in neuroscience. Additionally, EPSP celebrates intersectionality and strives to advocate for and welcome all underrepresented groups, including individuals who are neurodiverse, medically disabled, and/or LGBTQIA+. EPSP is committed to offering personal, academic, and professional development opportunities, shaping spaces for networking and community-building, facilitating discussions of issues about barriers to diversity and inclusion in neuroscience, and organizing community outreach.

Brain Womxn Advocating Visibility and Equity in Science (brainWAVES)

brainWAVES is building an equitable professional experience in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and the Department of Psychology by providing a platform and safe community to discuss the occupational challenges faced by womxn*, educating about strategies to eliminate gender-based disadvantages, and ensuring that everyone has knowledge of, and access to, resources for responding to misconduct.

Weaimtofosteranenvironmentwhere variousperspectivesarevalued.

Outreach Programs and Activities

Diversity and outreach in PNI is designed to cultivate partnerships with educational and community-based organizations. We have the interest to add diversity to our Neuroscience community. We would like for students in underserved communities to gain exposure and opportunities in neuroscience as early as possible and to be prepared, qualified and motivated about science.

PNI outreach volunteers, EPSP, and NEUron along with the Princeton Neuroscience Network (PNN) host several meaningful and engaging encounters with underserved students throughout the academic year.

Highlightsfromouroutreacheffortsinclude:

Princeton High School

Twin Hills Elementary School (Willingboro District)

Greenwood Elementary School (Hamilton District)

Christina Seix Academy

PPPL Young Women’s Conference

StemCivic High School

Willingboro School District (over 218 students in five different 4th grade classes and three different schools)

Sankofa Freedom Academy (Philadelphia, PA)

Urban Promise (Trenton, NJ)

Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP)

Recenteventsinclude:

Brain Bee Competition

The Brain Bee is a neuroscience competition for high school students. Its purpose is to motivate young men and women to learn about the human brain, apply it to their daily lives and to inspire them to enter careers in the basic and clinical brain sciences.

Spring Into Science (Frick Atrium and PNI)

Over 400 students in 4th - 10th grades and their families from area schools and from PA, NY, and DE attended this Science Outreach event The Boys and Girls Club of Mercer County brought a bus load of students to this event

There was Science Outreach representation from undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and faculty, PCCM and Engineering groups, the Mercer County Rutgers Extension Office, the Princeton Fire Department, and many more researchers who shared their science with these students to foster STEM literacy and increase the pipeline of interest in STEM careers. Kevin C. Hudson led 2 college access presentations for high school students and the day ended with campus tours by Admissions.

Bradley Dickerson

Tatiana Engel

Annegret Falkner

Asif Ghazanfar

y

Peña llow n Seung

H. Wang

PNI Associated Faculty

William Bialek, PHY

Tian-Ming Fu, ECE

Elizabeth Margulis, Music

Erik Nook, PSY

Joshua Shaevitz, PHY

Jordan Taylor, PSY

PNI Affiliated Faculty

Rebecca Burdine, MOL

Tom Griffiths, PSY and CS

Naomi Leonard, MAE

Peter Ramadge, EE

Daniel Rubenstein, EEB

Robert Stengel, MAE

Jeffry Stock, MOL

Diana Tamir, PSY

PNI Emeritus Faculty

John Hopfield, computational biology/biophysics

Read more about our faculty's research: https://pni.princeton.edu/faculty-research/faculty-research-summaries

PNI LECTURER PROFILES

AnthonyAmbrosini TEXT

lecturers

In addition to our faculty, we have outstanding scholars in specialized competencies who contribute to our curriculum of world-class teaching

LindsayCollins TEXT

AnthonyAmbrosini

SamuelNastase

TEXT

SamuelNastase

LindsayCollins

NEW FACULTY PROFILES

BradleyDickerson,AssistantProfessor

https://pni princeton edu/faculty/bradley-h -dickerson

We welcome the following new faculty who have joined PNI to further our mission of worldclass neuroscience research!

BradleyDickerson

Research Area: Systems and Circuits

TatianaEngel

Research Area: Neural circuits & dynamics for cognition

Research in the Dickerson Lab focuses on how motor output is structured by precise sensory input. To do so, the lab studies the flight control circuitry of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. By studying these questions in Drosophila, the ;ab can leverage the powerful genetic toolkit available for the mapping, imaging, and manipulation of neural circuits. The lab directs its attention on structures that are unique to flies, known as the halteres, which act as dual-function gyroscopes that help structure the wingstroke. The Dickerson Lab takes an integrative approach, combining in vivo imaging, muscle physiology, and behavior

TatianaEngel,AssistantProfessor

Research Area: Neural circuits and dynamics for cognition

https://pni.princeton.edu/faculty/tatiana-engel

The Engel Lab uses computational and theoretical approaches to investigate how coordinated activity arises from distributed neural circuitry to drive behavioral and cognitive functions The lab develops mathematical models and data analysis methods to reveal distributed circuit mechanisms from rich experimental data The lab employs and extends tools and ideas from diverse fields, including statistical mechanics, machine learning, dynamical systems theory, and information theory

The lab's work benefits from close collaborations with experimental neuroscience laboratories collecting neurophysiological data in animals engaged in sophisticated tasks, such as attention, decision-making, and learning.

FennaKrienen,AssistantProfessor

https://pni princeton edu/faculty/fenna-m -krienen

FennaKrienen

Research Area: Systems and Circuits

The research in the Krienen Lab develops new tools and approaches to study cell types in primate models (particularly marmosets). The lab characterizes neurodevelopmental processes that lead to primate brain specializations such as expanded higher-order association cortex and cortico-cortical connectivity. They apply scalable molecular analyses of disease relevant mutations in primates and other species to inform models of human brain disorders such as autism.

Read more about our faculty's research: https://pni.princeton.edu/faculty-research/faculty-research-summaries

PNI Information Technology

John Wiggins

Randee Tengi

Garrett McGrath

Benjamin Singer

David Barlieb

Jawaan Lowery

Danette Quinones

Ian Hughes

Ismael Garcia

PNI Research Centers

Scully Center for the Neuroscience of Mind and Behavior

Leigh Nystrom

Mark Pinsk

Nicholas DePinto

Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics

Stephan Thiberge

Viral Neuroengineering Laboratory

Oliver Huang

Angela Chan

PNI Administration

Prof Mala Murthy, PNI Director

Ed Clayton, PNI Assistant Director

Jayshree Kalwachwala, Assistant to the Director

PNI Personnel

Lisa Glass

Rebecca Khaitman Heller

PNI Grants

Melissa DiMeglio

Jeanne Heether

Bob Sullivan

Tingting Zhao

Finance Administration

Hande Gumuskemer

Student Administrators

Adrian Cupid (undergrad)

Alex Michaud (grad)

Jessica Varela (interim grad)

Gabby Xu (training and professional development)

Faculty Assistants

Daisy Anderson

Ladonna Janz

Alex Lewis

Shaifali Patel

Yi Liu

Lab Administrators

May Husseini, Seung Lab

PNI Building

Todd Antonakos

Gary Drozd

Administrative Offices

A-level

Faculty Offices

A-level, 1st floor, 2nd floor

COMPUTING

PNI MICROSCOPY FACILITY

EEG LABORATORY

EYE TRACKING FACILITY

NEUROIMAGING FACILITY

TMS LABORATORY

VIRAL CORE FACILITY

COMPUTING

Computing Facility | PNI is committed to maintaining leadingedge data analysis and management systems which help support the creation of novel analytical and data collection methods PNI’s information technology infrastructure has been designed to support research methods requiring extremely high-performance processing coupled with low-latency, high-speed connectivity, such as the integration of fMRI scanners with HPC clusters, enabling real-time analysis of fMRI data with complex algorithms including Full Correlation Matrix Analysis.

MICROSCOPY

PNI Microscopy Facility | The PNI Microscopy Facility provides researchers with the tools to perform structural studies of neural tissues. This is accomplished using a variety of optical imaging modalities, including laser point and field scanning confocal, Multi Photon, and fluorescent stereomicroscopy These technologies give researchers a detailed picture of the macro, cellular, and subcellular structure of the brain tissues under investigation

HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE

Cognitive Electrophysiology Laboratory | The EEG Laboratory studies neuronal firing patterns via EEG (electroencephalography).

Eye Tracking Facility | The Eye Tracking Facility offers a 2000Hz monocular/1000Hz binocular eye tracking system along with a stimulus display and control computer for general psychophysics and eye tracking studies.

Neuroimaging Facility | PNI has two research-dedicated scanners in our shared Neuroimaging Facility. The first is a 3 Tesla Siemens Skyra MRI scanner, a whole body wide-bore MRI scanner The second is a 3 Tesla Siemens Prisma MRI scanner that uses MR gradient coils capable of high speeds that are currently unmatched in the industry, thereby greatly enhancing both temporal and spatial resolution Both scanners are equipped with a variety of RF coils, capable of structural, diffusion and functional imaging

TMS Facility | The TMS Facility provides two single pulse TMS stimulators with image-guided neuro-navigation in addition to an eye tracker and a stimulus display and control computer.

VIRAL AND NON-VIRAL VECTOR TOOLS

https://pni.princeton.edu/research/pni-facilities

PNI Viral Core | The main objective of the PNI Viral Core Facility is to design and provide investigators with high quality viral and non-viral vector tools that can be used in vitro and in vivo.

BEZOS CENTER

The Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics focuses on the development and application of microscopy imaging techniques for measuring neural circuit dynamics in the functioning brain.

The Bezos Center for Neural Circuit Dynamics was created by a generous gift from Jeff ’86 and MacKenzie '92 Bezos

The Center hosts both commercial and custom-built optical instrumentation for large-scale monitoring and optogenetic perturbation of neural activity The Bezos Center is a critical asset for Princeton researchers working toward a circuit-level understanding of computation in the nervous system

SCULLY CENTER

The Regina and John Scully '66 Center for the Neuroscience of Mind and Behavior seeks to understand how the physical mechanisms of the brain give rise to the functions of the mind, enabling landmark research that will benefit our understanding of learning, decision making and a host of other behaviors.

The center was established in 2007 through a generous gift from John and Regina Scully The Scullys' support of the Center includes funding the development and operation of brain imaging facilities and support of the infrastructure essential for its use in the center’s mission of teaching and research

MCDONNELL CENTER

The McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience explores the ways in which the brain acquires, modifies and stores information during cognitive processes. The center is home to research in neural coding and dynamics.

The McDonnell Center was established in 2007 through a gift from James S. McDonnell III, John F. McDonnell, and the JSM Charitable Trust (see related story). James McDonnell III, a former University trustee, is a member of Princeton's class of 1958; John McDonnell is a member of the class of 1960.

Their support of the McDonnell Center includes funding advanced technology in systems neuroscience and establishing an endowment to support the highly trained specialists needed to run it It also provides an endowed fund for innovation in systems neuroscience, creates graduate fellowships, and provides for a new systems neuroscience teaching laboratory

https://pni.princeton.edu/centers

McDonnell Center

Scully Center

Graduate Program - Ph.D. in Neuroscience

Howdomillionsofindividualneuronsworktogethertogiverisetobehavioratthelevelofawholeorganism?

Howdoourbrainswork?

Training researchers to answer these fundamental, unanswered questions is the goal of the Princeton Neuroscience Institute graduate program Students in this program learn to use the latest techniques and approaches in neuroscience and are trained how to think and how to develop new techniques and approaches Creativity and originality in research are essential to cracking the puzzle of the brain For more information on our Ph D in Neuroscience, read about our graduate program here

During the first year, all students participate in a unique year-long core course that surveys current neuroscience. The fall course, NEU 501A, covers molecules, cells, circuits, and small-animal systems neuroscience. By the end, they are ready to begin inquiry into animal systems. They are also prepared for NEU 502A, which covers cognitive neuroscience. The spring term NEU 502 builds on the cellular and circuit mechanisms learned in NEU 501 to understand how the brain gives rise to cognition. Incoming students are encouraged to rotate through up to three different labs to choose the lab that best matches their interests. During this process, students may discover an area of research completely new and fascinating to them. Following their rotations and by mutual agreement with their prospective faculty adviser, students choose a lab in which they will carry out their Ph.D. research.

Graduate Course of Study

Year 1 | The first year of the graduate program begins with a two-week Neuro Boot Camp in August Once the academic year begins, all students take the two-term core course, NEU 501/502 Students will also rotate in up to three labs, participate in grantwriting workshops, and attend the Society for Neuroscience Annual Conference

Year 2 | By the second year of their Ph D , students will have joined a research group Students also typically teach half-time during their second year, the other half of their time, they begin to carry out in-depth research Students also will participate in an NSF Fellowship grant-writing workshop in September

Year 3 | At the beginning of their third year, Ph D students present their thesis proposal at a generals exam

Year 3, 4, 5 | The third, fourth and fifth years are largely devoted to research They culminate with the submission of their research papers for publication, and the writing and defense of their Ph.D. thesis.

FormoreaboutourPh.D.inNeuroscienceandotherprogramsweoffer,pleasevisitourwebsite.

New Graduate Students ·

2022

(Iain) Declan Campbell

Skylar Cassity

Jovian Cheung

Hannah Douglas

Yousuf El-Jayyousi

Pedro Estrada

Ian Gregg

Will Long

Priscilla Louis

Oyindamola Ogunlade

Vanessa Roser

(Tat Hei) Dexter Tsin

Iman Wahle

Sae Yokoyama

Yunchang Zhang

NEU Graduate Course Sampling

Spring 2022

NEU 502A: Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience

NEU 502B: From Molecules to Systems to Behavior

NEU 511: Current Issues in Neuroscience and Behavior

Fall 2022

NEU 501A: Cellular and Circuits Neuroscience

NEU 501B: From Molecules to Systems to Behavior

NEU 592: Ethics in the Practice of Neuroscience

NEU 511: Current Issues in Neuroscience and Behavior

Undergraduate Studies

The Princeton Neuroscience Institute offers the Neuroscience Major for Princeton University undergraduates with a strong interest in pursuing an in-depth study of the brain. Neuroscience is a broad interdisciplinary field requiring rigorous preparation in basic science. Students in this discipline are expected to understand the basic principles and approaches of modern neuroscience. The major provides an opportunity for serious study of molecular, cellular, developmental, and systems neuroscience as it interfaces with cognitive and behavioral research.

Since modern neuroscience is relying increasingly on quantitatively sophisticated methods and theory, students are also expected to gain competency in physics, mathematics, and computation By offering a combination of courses and interdisciplinary research, students who complete the neuroscience major will be highly qualified to pursue graduate work at the best neuroscience, psychology or biology graduate programs and will also have completed, in large part, the background requirements to enter medical or veterinary school

What can you do with a degree in neuroscience?

The options are endless! A neuroscience degree can be used in so many fields: research, education, health and global healthrelated careers, quantitative fields, business, law, government and policy, writing and publishing, consulting, non-profits, even in the creative sector

The options truly are endless - read more about the NEU undergraduate degree and how else you can use the power of neuroscience after college here!

Youcanbeaprofessor,psychologist,socialworker,veterinarian,clinicalprojectmanager,lawyer,grantreviewer,editor,architect,mar

NEU Undergraduate Course Sampling

Spring 2022

NEU 202: Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience

NEU 350: Laboratory in Principles of Neuroscience

NEU 413: Neurobiology of Stress

NEU 422: Dynamics in Cognition

NEU 437/537: Computational Neuroscience

NEU 475: Basal Ganglia in Health and Diseases

Interested in learning more?

Fall 2022

NEU 200: Functional Neuroanatomy

NEU 201 Fundamentals of Neuroscience

NEU 314 Math Tools for Neuroscience

NEU 331 Intro to Clinical Neuropsychology

NEU 385 Circuits for Survival

NEU 427 Systems Neuroscience

NEU 430 Seminar: Epigenetics in Neuro and Behavior

OOPS! too many to list, see our website!

PNN student organization

To explore our major further and for more information, make an appointment to speak with PNI's Undergraduate Administrator, Adrian Cupid More about neuroscience undergraduate studies can be found on our website

https://pni.princeton.edu/education/

Founded in 2015, Princeton Neuroscience Network (PNN) is the University’s only student organization dedicated to fostering a community of individuals interested in neuroscience As a group, PNN hopes to create more opportunities for students across all levels, both on and off campus, in the interdisciplinary and fast advancing field of neuroscience

https://pnn.princeton.edu/

Postdoctoral Researchers, Fellows, and Scholars

Postdocsplayavitalroleinourcampuscommunityasresearchers,inadvancingfacultyscholarship, andincontributingtoPrinceton’sacademicmission.

Welcome to our new postdocs who joined PNI in 2022!

Polina Iamshchinina

Alexander Riordan

Paul Scotti

Nadav Amir

Anna Verbe

Esra Sefik

Dean Pospisil

Kyle Luther

Harrison Ritz

Kirsten Ziman

Qinpu He

Augustin Hennings

Alexandra Libby

Sebastian Speer

Seth Akers-Campbell

Karina Tachihara

Mostafa Abdou

Anuththara Rupasinghe

Junchol Park

Navvab Afrashteh

Robert Fetcho

Nancy Mack

Julie Charlton

C.V. Starrs ·

congratulations

Welcome to PNI's new C V Starr fellows!

Harrison Ritz

Matt Rosenberg

Bartul Mimica

Rober Boshra

Manuel Schottdorf

Esra Sefik

Lukas Weiss

Robert Fetcho

Duncan Mearns

PNI 2022 Alumni

Our alumni contributions during their time in PNI are exceptional, and they carry on their dedication and hard work in their future endeavors.

Student alumni continue their education and postdoctoral studies all over the world at prestigious institutions such as Stanford University, Harvard University, University College London, Johns Hopkins, and others.

Postdocs and gradiate students also enter industry positions in top companies such as Meta, Google, Amazon, Moderna, and more

Graduate Students

Tyler Boyd-Meredith

David Zoltowski

Diksha Gupta

Lindsay Willmore

Alex Libby

Weston Fleming

Laura Bustamante

Alex Riordan

Undergraduate Students - 2022 Seniors

Ines Aitsahalia

Andrew Berg

Raven Bluford

Saoirse Bodnar

Joshua Breeding

Austin Chang

Hifsa Chaudhry

Daniel Choo

Daniella Cohen

Fabiola Corral

Chino Eke

Esmeralda Gloria

Postdocs

Osama Ahmed

Christa Baker

Shannon Burns

Adam Calhoun

Claire Chang

Jesse Clark

Elise Cope

Victoria Corbit

Benjamin Cowley

Emily Dennis

Brian DePasquale

David Deutsch

Manoj Eradath

Ariel Goldstein

Ines Aitsahalia

Andrew Berg

Raven Bluford

Saoirse Bodnar

Joshua Breeding

Austin Chang

Hifsa Chaudhry

Daniel Choo

Daniella Cohen

Fabiola Corral

Chino Eke

Esmeralda Gloria

Jan Homman

Marius Catalin Iordan

Angela Langdon

Olga Lositsky

Camden MacDowell

Carola Maturana

Meir Meshulam

Sidney Gregorek

Hadar Halivni

Naaji Hylton

Qingxi Jia

Maxwell Johns

Katherine Kaplan

Michael Lenzi

Johanna Linna

Mina Musthafa

Vy Nguyen

Jennifer No

Oluwamayowa Oke

Shang Mu

Payam Piray

Christos Suriano

Mariya Toneva

Megan Wang

Alyssa Wiilson

Olufolarin Okulaja

Karl Poling

Sharon Powley

Grace Simmons

Kamron Soldozy

Megan Tang

Olivia Timmermans

Matthew Trotter

Isla Weber

Hunter Worth

Zachariya Yazdani

Seo Yoo

Sofiya Yusina

Publications Intro Para

Publications

Publications

Publications

Publications

Publications

Publications

Publications

Publications

Publications

Publications

PHOTOS

Institute

Retreat

PNIInstituteRetreat

Each May, PNI hosts an Institute retreat for all of our faculty and their laboratories. With a sizeable Institute housing many diverse and extensive scientific research interests, our retreat is an opportunity to bring everyone together to share, collaborate, and interact on an academic yet fun level. The retreat also gives our graduate students and postdocs a chance to present their lab research, and practice giving talks that will inevitably become a skill in their future careers

In 2022, the retreat was held at the Crystal Springs Resort in Vernon Township in New Jersey, and thoughtfully organized by: Annegret Falkner, Andrew Leifer, Bri Carvajal, Wynne Staganro, Victoria Corbit, Alex Pan Vazquez, and Alexandra Michaud.

Talks featured the labs of Lisa Boulanger, Carlos Brody, Nathaniel Daw, Annegret Falkner, Elizabeth Gould, Michael Graziano, Andy Leifer, Lindy McBride, Mala Murthy, Yael Niv, Jonathan Pillow, Sebastian Seung, David Tank, Sam Wang, and Ilana Witten.

Posters featured the labs of Carlos Brody, Asif Ghazanfar, Elizabeth Gould, Uri Hasson, Andy Leifer, Mala Murthy, Yael Niv, Ken Norman, Cate Peña, Jonathan Pillow, David Tank, and Ilana Witten

P N I

N E W S

NEW DIRECTOR NewPNIStaff·

Mala Murthy has been named the new Director of the Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) Professor

Murthy is the Karol and Marnie Marcin ’96 Professor of Neuroscience She joined PNI in 2010 after receiving her PhD in Neuroscience from Stanford University, and completing a postdoctoral fellowship at CalTech. Professor Murthy has received a number of honors, including an NSF CAREER award, an NIH New Innovator award, a McKnight Scholar award, an NINDS Research Program award, and an HHMI Faculty Scholar award. She is also a member of the council that oversees the scientific direction of the US BRAIN Initiative.

farewell

OUTGOING CO-DIRECTORS

Jonathan Cohen and David Tank

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We are delighted to welcome the following new staff to our administrative team:

Jessica Varela

Jessica is our interim graduate administrator this year, while Alex Michaud is on leave

Adrian Cupid

Adrian joins us from the Psychology department as our new undergraduate administrator.

Ladonna Janz

Ladonna joins us as a new faculty assistant, assisting Professors Michael Berry, Tatiana Engel, Elizabeth Gould, Samuel Wang, and Ilana Witten.

Gabby Xu

Gabby is our new Training and Professional Development Administrator.

PNIStaffChanges·

A big congratulations to the following team members:

Rebecca Khaitman Heller

Rebecca was promoted to a personnel manager, working with our Senior Personnel Manager, Lisa Glass

Jayshree Kalwachwala

Jayshree was promoted from a faculty assistant to the Assistant to the new PNI Director, Prof Mala Murthy

Paryn Wallace

Paryn was our undergraduate administrator and has been promoted to Associate Director of Science Outreach

Melissa DiMeglio

Melissa was promoted to a full grants manager, taking on a portfolio of new faculty joining PNI.

P N I N E W S

PNI Innovator awards to fund new molecular and computational approaches

The Princeton Neuroscience Institute has granted innovator awards to two cutting-edge collaborative teams. Professors Gould and Buschman, together with the director of the PNI viral core, Dr. Huang, will use their award to develop innovative tools to expand the space of questions we can ask about perineuronal nets

Professors Daw and Witten will use their award to support innovative research at the computational level, testing a new comprehensive framework for modelling reward prediction error in the brain

Cellular: Developing New Tools to Probe Perineuronal Net Function

Professors Elizabeth Gould and Tim Buschman, and Dr. Oliver Huang

Computational: Testing neural circuit models to explain dopaminergic heterogeneity

Professors Nathaniel Daw and Ilana Witten

Sabine Kastner Named New Editor-in-Chief oftheJournalofNeuroscience

Sabine Kastner, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, has been named the new Editor in Chief of JNeurosci Professor Kastner will be following outgoing EiC Marina Picciotto of Yale University and will begin her appointment on January 1, 2023

Read more: http://www jneurosci org/content/43/1/1

CatePeñaselectedasNewYorkStemCell FoundationRobertsonNeuroscience Investigator

Cate Peña, an Assistant Professor in PNI, was selected as a New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Robertson Neuroscience Investigator The NYSCF Investigator Program fosters and encourages promising early career scientists whose cutting-edge research holds the potential to accelerate treatments and cures

Fenna Krienen receives the BICAN award fromNIH

https://pni.princeton.edu/news

Fenna Krienen, an Assistant Professor at PNI, was awarded a $6 9M grant as part of a global collaboration with the Allen Institute to develop comprehensive, single cell atlases of the human and nonhuman primate brain The collaboration is funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative as part of The BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network, or BICAN, and includes projects led by researchers from 17 other institutions across the US, Europe and Japan.

P N I N E W S

From the Simons Foundation: A New Era for the Neuroscience of Social Behavior

Written by former PNI postdoc Brian DePasquale, the article details some of the astounding work in the field that has been performed, with great contributions from PNI faculty and trainees including: Director Mala Murthy, Assistant Professor Annegret Falkner, Professor Ilana Witten, and former graduate students Lindsay Willmore and Talmo Pereira.

Former NEU undergrad Hope Kean featured in NY Times story

Hope Kean (Neuroscience, '18) was recently featured in a NY Times story entitled "The Curious Hole in My Head "

PNI faculty Bradley Dickerson, 2 former PNI affiliates,winprestigiousearlycareeraward

Bradley Dickerson, one of PNI’s newest faculty members, and two former PNI postdocs, Christine Constantinople currently of NYU, and Kanaka Rajan of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, have been awarded the prestigious McKnight Scholarship. The award, which supports young neuroscientists in the early stages of setting up an independent research career. It is awarded yearly to up to 10 recipients.

SabineKastnerAwarded2023Annual GeorgeA.MillerPrizeinCognitive Neuroscience

Sabine Kastner, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, has been awarded the 2023 Annual George A. Miller Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience.

Cate Peña receives BRAINS award from NIH

Cate Peña, an Assistant Professor in PNI, was recently awarded a five-year, $3 7M Biobehavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS) R01 from NIMH The award is to support exceptional early-career investigators conducting highrisk, high-reward mental health research The award will support Dr. Peña’s research to understand how early life adversity primes sensitivity to stress later in life through epigenetic mechanisms.

https://pni.princeton.edu/news

P N I N E W S

Two papers from

PNI use a new mathematical framework to study internal cognitive states

Both studies were collaborations with PNI Professor Jonathan Pillow; the first with the International Brain Laboratory, an international consortium of brain researchers, and the second with PNI Professor Ilana Witten. The first study, published in Nature Neuroscience, was led by graduate student Zoe Ashwood. The second study, led by PNI postdoctoral researcher Scott Bolkan and PNI graduate student Iris Stone, was also published in Nature Neuroscience

Tracking Animals in Motion: SLEAP

Article Published in Nature Methods

A timely collaboration between several laboratories across the Princeton community, including the Murthy Lab in the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and the Shaevitz Lab in the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, resulted in the creation of a novel open-source program called SLEAP. This program can simultaneously track and quantify the movement and behavior of multiple organisms at once.

Tim Buschman among those receiving prestigious honors from the National AcademyofSciences

Three Princetonians are among the 16 scientists receiving the highest honors given by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). These major awards recognize extraordinary scientific achievements in a wide range of fields spanning the physical, biological, social and medical sciences The winners will receive their awards at a ceremony on April 30, during the National Academy of Sciences’ 160th annual meeting

Tim Buschman, an Associate Professor of Psychology in PNI, is one of two to receive the highest honors given by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the Troland Research Award, for his groundbreaking contributions and insights into the neural mechanisms of cognitive control

Rebekah Rashford and Iris Stone receive NIHfellowshipawards

Rebekah Rashford and Iris Stone, two rising fifth years in PNI, are the first two recipients of NIH's National Research Service Award (NRSA) Predoctoral Fellowship in the history of PNI Read more here

Mala Murthy, Professor and Director, PNI

Ed Clayton, PNI Assistant Director

Jayshree Kalwachwala, Assistant to the Director

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