Rashmi Rashmi, Ph.D. Molecular Biology and Cytogenetics

I received my PhD in Molecular Biology and Cytogenetics from Banaras Hindu University in 2018. After my PhD, I joined as a DBT Research associate (Sept 2018-Feb 2019) at Tata Medical Centre, Kolkata where I investigated clinical variation in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Subsequently, I joined as a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of North Dakota (2019-2021) where I characterized the pharmacological properties of a novel small molecule activator of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). In the Speer lab, my research is focused to understand the role of RNA transport and local translation in the formation and function of neural circuits using the visual system as a model.

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TJplI9cAAAAJ&hl=en

Chenghang Zhang, Ph.D Biophysics

I completed my B.S. degree in Nankai University, China, in 2017 and my Ph.D. in Biophysics from UMD in 2023. My research focuses on the activity-dependent retinal ganglion cell (RGC) innervation in the thalamus and hypothalamus during mouse development. Using super-resolution fluorescent microscopy, anterograde eye tracing, and genetic or pharmacological manipulation of the retina activity, I investigate topics including the eye-specific segregation in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), the maturation of retinohypothalamic synapses in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), RGC bouton spatial clustering, and the maturation of subsynaptic domains based on synaptic molecule distribution. I aim to understand mechanisms of neural wiring in the visual system, particularly emphasizing the role of activity-driven synapse plasticity.

César Javier Hernández, B.S., M.S., Physiological Systems (PSYS) Graduate Student

Since earning both my bachelor degree in Psychology and my master degree in Neuroscience from Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Bogotá, I have been interested in synaptic plasticity mechanisms. In my masters work, I researched regulation of dendritic spine morphogenesis by PINK1 in mouse hippocampal cultures. Now, I am pursuing a doctoral degree at UMD thanks to one of the Fulbright Colombia Commission Scholarships awarded in 2020. In the Speer lab, I focus my research on the synaptic organization of inhibitory amacrine cell input to ON⍺ retinal ganglion cells. My experimental approach to studying retinal circuit inhibition takes advantage of  conditional knockouts of scaffolding proteins that cluster glycine or GABA(A) receptor subunits together with expansion microscopy (ExM) for high-resolution fluorescence imaging.

Tarlan Vatan, B.S., Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Graduate Student

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Maryland in 2020. As an undergraduate research assistant in the Speer lab, I successfully tested and implemented a protocol to perform tissue imaging using Expansion Microscopy (ExM). My research interest is understanding how spontaneous activity during development drives proper wiring of neural circuits. I am interested in studying the underlying molecular mechanism of this spontaneous activity-dependent eye-specific segregation by looking at synaptic organelles, specifically mitochondria and ribosomes. I am using super-resolution imaging (STORM) of synapses and live imaging of axon trafficking to characterize how mitochondria and ribosomes are affected by disruptions in retinal wave activity.

Meena (Meenakshi) Adiyodi, Undergraduate Student in Neuroscience

I am a junior Neuroscience major on the Cellular, Molecular, and Physiological Track. I am also in the Biology Honors program. My research interests lie in the organization of visual pathways, and the development of visual circuits over time.

Madeline Eisenfeld, Undergraduate student in Cell Biology and Genetics

I am currently a junior studying Cell Biology & Genetics with a minor in Neuroscience. I am also a member of the Biology Honors Program. Broadly, my research interests are in neurological function and development and how sensory input leads to perception.

Natalie Toth, Undergraduate student in Physiology and Neurobiology

I am a junior Physiology and Neurobiology major at UMD interested in the visual system. My research passions lie in using imaging techniques to investigate the structure and function of cells in the retina and in retinal diseases. Previously, I have participated in research under Dr. Johnny Tam and Dr. John Giannini at the National Eye Institute (NEI). At the NEI, I analyzed rod and cone photoreceptor structure in patients with retinitis pigmentosa. In the Speer Lab, I am excited to broaden my knowledge of super-resolution imaging and investigate the organization of interneurons in the mouse retina.