NECTOW LAB TEAM

Nachiket Kamatkar

Postdoctoral Fellow

Nachi received his BS and MS from the University of Notre Dame. His master’s thesis was on swarming motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the laboratory of Joshua Shrout. For his PhD, Nachi moved to Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he studied FGF signaling in the central nervous system in the laboratory of Jean Hebert and developed RNA aptamers specific for FGFR3, in collaboration with Dr. Matthew Levy. In the Nectow lab, Nachi is interested in studying neural dynamics of the dorsal raphe nucleus and its role in hunger. He has recently identified a new mechanism through which the brainstem regulates meal timing. He is also interested in developing novel viral strategies to anatomically dissect neural circuits required for energy homeostasis.

Nachi was recently awarded a position on an NIH T32 Postdoctoral Training Grant for metabolism research.

In his free time, Nachi enjoys exploring NYC, playing chess, and visiting breweries.

Srikanth Chowdhury

Postdoctoral Fellow

Srikanth received his BS and MS from the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh. Shortly after graduation, he joined the University of Chittagong as a lecturer and started working with Abu Shadat M Noman to study the pattern of TLR expression in arsenic-exposed hPBMCs. For his PhD, Srikanth moved to Nagoya University in Japan where he worked with Akihiro Yamanaka, studying the interactions between neural circuits regulating sleep and wakefulness. Shortly after completing his PhD, Srikanth moved back to the University of Chittagong where he started working at the intersection of neuroscience and oncology. In the Nectow lab, Srikanth is interested in using molecular profiling to dissect the roles of subpopulations in the DRN, with a particular emphasis on satiation.

Srikanth was previously awarded the Russell Berrie Foundation's Berrie Fellowship in Diabetes Research. He was recently awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Diabetes Association.

In his free time, Srikanth enjoys reading fiction and watching a game of cricket.

Alexander Sisti

Postdoctoral Fellow

Alexander received his BA from Columbia University. After graduation, he was a technician in the Dranovsky-Leonardo lab, working on the effects of stress and environment on neural stem cells in the dentate gyrus. He then joined Columbia University's MD/PhD program, performing his PhD studies in the laboratory of Charles Zuker. In the Zuker lab, Alexander studied the role of the gut-brain axis on food intake and nutrient preference. In particular, he identified a vagally-mediated, taste-independent pathway responsible for sugar craving. After graduating, Alexander then went on to pursue clinical training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is now pursing a clinical fellowship in cardiology at NYP-Columbia. In the Nectow lab, Alexander is interested in understanding neuro-cardiac interactions through the lens of the vagus nerve.

For his work, Alexander has received multiple awards, most notably Columbia's Titus Munson Coan Prize.

Edward Eckels

Postdoctoral Fellow

Ted received his BS from the University of Pennsylvania and then enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Columbia University Medical Center. For his thesis work, Ted worked in the lab of Julio Fernandez on the intersection of single molecule force spectroscopy and muscle mechanics, focusing on the role of titin in muscle contraction. He completed his combined MD and PhD in 2020 and then continued his clinical training in internal medicine, followed by a clinical fellowship in cardiology, both at Columbia University Medical Center. Through collaboration with the Nectow and Marx labs, Ted is pursuing studies involving the sympathetic regulation of cardiac contractility.

Gabriel Redel-Traub

Postdoctoral Fellow

Gabe received his BA from Dartmouth College. He received his MD from NYU School of Medicine. While in medical school, he was awarded the AOA Student Research Fellowship providing him protected time to work on a murine model of Brugada Syndrome in Glenn Fishman's lab. After graduating medical school, Gabe went on to pursue clinical training in internal medicine and then cardiology at NYP-Columbia. In the Nectow Lab, Gabe is interested in applying novel neuroscience techniques to study sympathetic innervation to the heart.

In his free time, Gabe enjoys biking, playing tennis, basketball and soccer and eating his way through NYC.

Jing Liu

Staff Scientist/Lab Manager

Jing received her PhD from SUNY Downstate. After graduation, she joined Henry Ginbserg's laboratory at Columbia University Medical Center as a postdoctoral fellow. In the Ginsberg lab, she focused on the role of hepatic insulin signaling in regulating lipid metabolism, linking insulin resistance to dyslipidemia. More recently, her research has focused on using CRISPR-Cas9 to edit proteins involved in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

In the Nectow lab, Jing is interested in understand the molecular mechanisms underlying brain-body interactions.

Julian Maldonado

Medical Student

Julian received his BS in Biology from Columbia University. He was previously an undergraduate researcher in the Nectow lab, where he worked on the role of the dorsal raphe nucleus in regulating food intake and energy expenditure.

Julian is now a medical student at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. In the Nectow lab, Julian would like to leverage his clinical interests in internal medicine and cardiology, as well as prior experiences in neurobiology, to better understand neuro-cardiac interactions.

In his free time, Julian is enjoys fencing.

Ethan Kushnerik

Undergraduate Student

Ethan is an undergraduate student in the lab who is planning to major in Biological Sciences at Columbia University. He has previously worked worked as a medical volunteer, helping physicians. In the Nectow lab, Ethan is interested in characterizing the neural circuit architecture responsible for controlling meal size and timing.

Outside of the lab, Ethan is a fencer, and is part of the senior fencing national team, the junior fencing national team, and the Columbia fencing team.

Caroline Jankowich

Undergraduate Student

Caroline is an undergraduate student at Columbia University majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior with a minor in French. Prior to joining the Nectow Lab, she conducted pediatric gastroenterology research under Drs. Shova Subedi and Jason Shapiro, contributing to a retrospective study on anti-TNF therapy in children with inflammatory bowel disease.

In the Nectow Lab, she is excited to explore the neurobiology of energy balance and neuro-cardiac interactions.

Outside the lab, Caroline competes on Columbia’s Track and Field and Cross Country teams. In her free time, she enjoys exploring New York City, spending time with family and friends, and discovering new restaurants and coffee shops.

Ian Chung

Undergraduate Student

Ian is an undergraduate student at Columbia University studying Economics with a minor in Chemistry. In the Nectow Lab, Ian is interested in understanding the role of various neuronal cell populations in regulating both energy balance and cardiovascular homeostasis.

Outside of the lab, Ian serves as the president of Columbia's undergraduate Korean Students Association, organizing cultural events on campus.

In his free time, Ian enjoys playing tennis and rock climbing.