WANG Zhibin

Postdoctoral Fellow

My interest in neuroscience started after I saw a behavioral experiment with concurrent in-vivo electrophysiology recording in the hippocampus of a rat. That’s when I decided to pursue my honours year in a neuroscience lab. My honours project was to examine the physiology of pain and reward through animal behaviour and in-vivo electrophysiology. I eventually did my Ph.D. with Sanjay Khanna at NUS.

My current research looks into the neural circuitry that mediates motivation in reward-seeking. I examine the molecular, synaptic, and circuit mechanisms that drive such responses in vitro and in vivo experiments. A deeper understanding of these circuits would give an insight into neural circuit adaptations during reward-seeking. Translationally, these findings would give us a better understanding of the significant social issues such as obesity, hyper-sexuality and drug addiction.

KOH Joanne

Postdoctoral Fellow

The brain is the most mysterious and fascinating biological structure as its function affects not just our physical health but also our perceived idea of self, and how we behave. This also collectively impacts how we function in a community and greater society. It is for these reasons that I have gravitated toward neuroscience as a biology student.

I had the opportunity to practice and complete my doctoral studies in the lab of Prof. Soong Tuck Wah where I worked on understanding how calcium channel signalling regulates both circadian behaviour and metabolism.

As a research fellow, my current research interrogates ionotropic serotonergic signalling in the circuitry of social memory. For this, I mainly use electrophysiological, behavioural and molecular tools.

NG Yi Han

NMRC Young Investigator
Postdoctoral Fellow

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PhD student (2020-)

I developed an interest in neuroscience after spending a few months at Lund University, Sweden, during my undergraduate years. Despite the increasing advances in science and technology through the decades, and the leaps made by scientists in uncovering new insights into the brain and its function, there is still much that we do not know about this enigmatic system – that is what captivated me about the field, and led me to pursue a career in neuroscience research.

Currently, my graduate research is focused on determining the contributions of cell adhesion molecules in the synaptic processes of various regions of the brain implicated in learning and memory. With deeper knowledge of the roles, functions and recruitment of different protein classes and subtypes at the synapse level, we can better understand the underlying circuitry and behaviour patterns at a normal cognitive state, and in neuropsychiatric diseases.

GOH Zi Ning Louise

POLEPALLI Jai

Principal Investigator, CeLS Neurobiology

Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy

The goal of my research is to usher in a better understanding of the synaptic and circuit dysfunctions that lead to abnormal cognition - symptoms that are predominant in a continuum of neuropsychiatric diseases. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anatomy, and a Principal Investigator in the Neurobiology Program at the National University of Singapore.

I graduated with a PhD from University of Queensland working in Prof. Pankaj Sah’s lab at the Queensland Brain institute, and subsequently relocated to Stanford University for my postdoctoral training, where I trained with noted leaders in the field of molecular, cellular and circuit neuroscience – Profs. Robert Malenka and Thomas Südhof.

ZENG Muchu

PhD student (2022-)

Brain is the most elaborate organ in the human body. Studying neuroscience gives me the window to unravel the codes of the brain and how it controls behavior, emotion, and cognition. My graduate research focuses on the brain structure called the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract (nLOT) and its neurocircuitry. The nLOT is a relatively understudied area of the brain, but recent studies have suggested that it plays a key role in olfactory guided behaviors such as feeding.

To investigate the nLOT, I will be using a combination of electrophysiological, imaging, and molecular techniques in rodent models. My goal is to identify the key neural circuits and molecules that drive behaviors and to understand how these circuits are modulated by different stimuli.

XIU Yun

Visiting Faculty (Associate Professor, Chongqing Medical university)

Major research interest of my group is to study the role of NMDAR systems and neuronal circuit connectivity in psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. My research scope spans from oligodendrocytes and white matter integrity to neuronal synaptic and circuit function and our goal is to shed light on mechanisms involved in depression and schizophrenia, and to find new targets for the treatment of these psychiatric disorders.

May HO

MSc student (2023-)

I am curious about how environment shapes behaviour and this led to my interest in neuroscience. I am interested in understanding the mechanisms of how brain functions, and how certain dysregulations lead to the development of neuropsychiatric diseases. I have previously worked in the lab of Prof. Suresh Jesuthasan investigating habenula function using zebrafish as a model organism. My Honours project was done in the lab of Prof. Soojin Ryu, studying the effects of Early Life Stress on the zebrafish hypothalamus and feeding behaviour.

My current research goal as a Master's student is to investigate the molecular and synaptic mechanisms underlying sociability and social memory.

Vachan Shetru

Visiting Scholar (Masters thesis, IISER-Pune)

My interest in neuroscience developed when I wanted to understand how humans and organisms process and perceive differently. A complex network of neurons generates cognition, which allows us to create wonders all around us. However, the inner workings of this network are poorly understood. Working in a neuroscience lab gives me an opportunity to eventually answer this question by strengthening my basics.

My current project is to understand the role of cell adhesion molecule, Cerebellin-4 in memory-guided behaviors using electrophysiology, behavioral assays, and molecular tools