Meet Our Team

Firstly, we want to thank our mice. Without them, none of our research would be possible, and we love them for all their efforts.

Aleena received a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Oregon. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego in the lab of Dr. Mark Mayford. She worked as a scientist at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, and then performed her postdoctoral studies at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel, Switzerland in the lab of Dr. Georg Keller.

Aleena R. Garner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor & Principal Investigator
aleena_garner@hms.harvard.edu

  • Natalie Shulstad, B.S.

    Lab Manager & Research Assistant

    Natalie received a B.S. in Neurobiology and a B.S. in Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She previously worked in software design and data analysis at Epic Systems and was an undergradute research assistant at the Center for Healthy Minds. She also tutored Chemistry at UW-Madison.

  • Gavin Nolan, B.S.

    Research Assistant

    Gavin received a B.S. in Neuroscience and a B.S. in Biology from Emmanuel College. Previously he studied abroad at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He was also a research assistant at Emmanuel College in the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Crofton. Gavin is a musician and a composer.

  • Anushka Darade, B. Tech.

    Imaging Data Infrastructure Specialist

    Anushka Darade received a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Engineering from K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering in Mumbai, India. She is currently working on her Master of Science in Information Systems at Northeastern University and pursuing a cooperative education internship in the lab. Previously she has worked as a data analyst in e-commerce and health record maintenance. She also worked as a data scientist on a project using machine learning for early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease.

  • Lea Klein, B.Sc.

    Master's Intern: Molecular Biology, Neuroscience

    Lea is a Master’s student from the University of Vienna in Austria. Previously her research focused on the role of the insular cortex in reinforcement learning in the lab Dr. Sarah Melzer at the Medical University of Vienna and the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol on the modulation of mitochondrial activity in neuroblastoma cells in the lab of Dr. Rudolf Moldzio at University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.

  • Joshua Segal

    Software Design and AI Specialist

    Joshua is an undergraduate at Northeastern University studying Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Mathematics and is pursuing a cooperative education internship in the lab. Previously Joshua designed a web application to enhance real world navigation.

  • Nikolas Varga

    Electrical and Music Engineering Specialist

    Nikolas is an undergraduate at Northeastern University studying Electrical Engineering and Music and is pursuing a cooperative education internship in the lab. Previously Nikolas worked on fabricating and testing organic photovoltaic devices and thin-film transistors in sustainable materials science.

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Alumni

Violeta Araque Master’s Student
Shawn Charles Virtual Reality Design Specialist
Ethan Alderson Computer Vision for Mouse Vision Specialist