Current Members of the Francis Lab
Michael Francis, PhD - Principal Investigator |
|
Shankar Ramachandran, PhD - Instructor Shankar is a senior research faculty, who joined the lab in 2016. He received his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he characterized calcium channels at presynaptic terminals of lamprey reticulospinal axons using calcium imaging and electrophysiology. He is currently investigating molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic connectivity and plasticity in the C. elegans motor circuit using genetic tools, optogenetics and calcium imaging.
|
|
Kasturi Biswas - Graduate Student Kasturi is a Neuroscience graduate student from Kolkata, India. She earned her B.Sc. with a major in microbiology from St. Xavier’s College and completed her M.Sc.in neuroscience from National Brain Research Centre in 2018. She joined the Francis lab in 2019 and is interested in molecular basis of memory-formation. Kasturi is currently studying proteins important for synaptic remodelling and circuit formation. Apart from her lab-work, she enjoys cooking, painting and reading non-fiction novels, especially on brain-science and consciousness.
|
|
Samuel Liu - Graduate Student |
|
Caroline Moore - PREP scholar Caroline Moore is a 2023-2024 PREP scholar from Baltimore, Maryland. She earned her degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In the summer of 2021, Caroline was a Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) student at UMass Chan Medical School, an experience that solidified her commitment to research and encouraged her to return as a PREP scholar. Beyond the laboratory, Caroline enjoys reading, running, and spending time with friends.
|
|