Meet the team

Heather Bowling is currently a postdoctoral associate studying the role of de novo translation in Autism spectrum disorders using neuroproteomic techniques. She received her Ph.D. from the NYU School of Medicine and her graduate work focused on protein synthesis signaling and subsequent proteomic changes underlying ameliorative neural stimuli. Previously, she worked as a Research Assistant at the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Foundation, which has a therapeutic-driven focus through the combination of basic, clinical, and translational projects. In addition, Heather holds honors for her undergraduate work in Rett syndrome at Wellesley College, and a 2014 SFN Chapter Travel Award.

Megan Elder is interested in the transcriptomic and proteomic changes in models of Alzheimer’s disease. Using young and aged transgenic mice and human-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, she will examine the effect of Alzheimer’s-related mutations on translation and protein expression. Megan earned her PhD in Anatomy from the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand) in the laboratories of Dr. Joanna Williams and Professor Warren Tate. In her thesis, Megan explored the effect of the neurotrophic secreted amyloid precursor protein alpha on protein synthesis, specifically examining changes in the production and expression of the AMPA receptor subunit GluA1. She previously obtained a Bachelor of Science, Anatomy endorsed with First Class Honours, and a Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience from the University of Otago.

Magdalena Kalinowska is interested in understanding cellular and molecular underpinnings of neurodevelopmental disorders. She uses induced pluripotent stem cells to study Fragile X syndrome, a common genetic cause of autism and intellectual disability. Magdalena earned her PhD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine with Dr. Anna Francesconi, focusing on elucidating cellular/ molecular players involved in regulation of dendritic spine morphogenesis by metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling. She completed BS in Biology at Cleveland State University and prior to starting grad school worked in HIV research at Case Western Reserve University.

Francesco Longo is interested in understanding the synaptic and behavioral abnormalities associated with autism spectrum disorder, with particular attention to striatal dysfunction in fragile X syndrome model mice. He received his MSc and his PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Oncology at the Institute for Higher Studies of the University of Ferrara exploring the role of LRRK2 kinase activity in mouse model of model of familial Parkinson’s disease and performing studies focused on the phenomena underlying neurodegeneration.

Prerana Shrestha is studying the role of translation in specific cell types in amygdala for fear related memory processes. She is currently developing a novel chemogenetic approach to inducibly block de novo protein synthesis in a cell autonomous manner. Prerana received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Rockefeller University in the laboratory of Dr. Nathaniel Heintz. For her dissertation, Prerana developed several bacTRAP transgenic mouse lines to characterize molecularly distinct cortical pyramidal cell types, and focused on layer 2/3 pyramidal cell population in the prefrontal cortex that moderate stress induced depression related behavior. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry, Magna cum laude, from Bates College, Maine. Prerana received the NARSAD Young investigator award in 2017.

Sameer Aryal is interested in applying high-throughput approaches to decipher the role of translational control in cognition. He earned a B.A. in Economics and Biology (honors) from Williams College, MA. He has previously worked on examining the neural substrates of certain fly behaviors, and on analyzing real-time tracking datasets of fruit flies.

Ilona Kats is a graduate student in the Neuroscience program interested in the mechanism of cap-dependent translation initiation in autism and synaptic plasticity.  She graduated with a B.A. from Pomona College where she studied the effects of stress and exercise on long-term potentiation in rats.  More recently before coming to NYU she spent two years doing research on an Intramural Research Training Award in the Kenneth Fischbeck laboratory at the National Institutes of Health.  There she studied the molecular mechanism of Spinal and Bulbar Muscular atrophy using induced pluripotent stem cells.

Mauricio Oliveira is interested in understanding the molecular mechanism that underlie protein synthesis-dependent memory formation. Specifically, his work focuses on understanding how GADD34, a scaffold protein involved in eIF2a dephosphorylation, participated in early events of memory processes, and how it could be involved in age-dependent cognitive decline and dementia. Mauricio earned his PhD from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro on translation initiation dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease to study whether pharmacological intervention to restore protein synthesis could rescue synaptic plasticity and memory of AD models.

Muhaned Mohamed is an MD/PhD student in the department of Neuroscience. He is interested in understanding how translational dysfunction leads to neurological disorders. His current projects include understanding how mutations in the EEF1A2 gene found in patients result in autism, epilepsy and intellectual disability. Muhaned graduated from York College with B.S. in Chemistry and Psychology, where he studied the influence of postsynaptic ganglion cells in the development of the bipolar cells of the retina. Afterwards he worked in the Naora lab at MD Anderson Cancer Center studying the role of homeobox gene DLX4 in Philadelphia chromosome negative myeloproliferative neoplasms.