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 circuit dynamics of the dorsal raphe nucleus and its role in circadian rhythm and hunger. He is also interested in developing novel viral and chemogenetic strategies to identify and 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 dissecting the physiological roles of subpopulations in the DRN.

Srikanth was recently awarded the Russell Berrie Foundation's Berrie Fellowship in Diabetes Research.

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

Brianna Mariotti

Master's Student

Brianna is a Master's student studying Human Nutrition at Columbia University. She is originally from California and attended the University of Michigan as an undergraduate student, where she obtained a dual degree in Neuroscience and Health and Fitness. For her Master's thesis, Brianna is working on mapping the long-range interactions between peripheral organs and brainstem cell types regulating energy balance.

Outside of the lab, Brianna enjoys recreational lifting, reading, drawing, and testing new recipes.

Patrick Citrano

Master's Student

Patrick is an MS candidate in Human Nutrition at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University. He grew up in New Jersey but left the East Coast to attend the University of Southern California for his undergraduate studies. He graduated from USC as an economics major, but also completed his pre-med requirements. Patrick is now conducting his Master's thesis on the molecular composition of brainstem cell types regulating energy balance.

In his free time, Patrick enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures.

Tasneem Sadok

Research Technician

Tasneem received her BS in Neuroscience with a minor in Biomedical Research from UCLA in 2021. In previous research, Tasneem worked on characterizing the role of the extended amygdala in social interaction and anxiety in the Halladay lab, and studied the morphology of microglia in relation to different mitochondrial metabolism parameters in the De Biase Lab. In the Nectow Lab, she is excited to characterize the behavioral parameters regulated by different dorsal raphe nuclei subpopulations.

In her spare time, Tasneem enjoys writing poetry and spending time outdoors.

Christa Akerele

Undergraduate Student

Christa is an undergraduate at Columbia University in the Science Research Fellows program, planning to major in Neuroscience and Behavior. In previous research, Christa worked with Dr. Dolores Malaspina investigating the impact of gut microbiota on symptoms in various mental illnesses; she also studied the impact of beta endorphins released during intense exercise on colon cancer cell proliferation. In the Nectow Lab, she is excited to explore the role of the dorsal raphe nucleus in energy balance, while also exploring other brainstem loci that may play important roles in driving diverse innate behaviors.

Christa was recently awarded a summer fellowship from Columbia's Summer Program for Underrepresented Students (SPURS) to continue her work on the DRN.

In her free time, Christa enjoys running and volunteer tutoring.

Julian Aurelio Maldonado

Undergraduate Student

Julian is an undergraduate in the lab, pursuing a major in Biological Sciences at Columbia University. He previously did clinical research focused on HbA1c prediabetes blood screens in the emergency department setting. Julian is now coming off a leave of absence from Columbia where he performed humanitarian aid work on the Arizona-Mexico border, while working as an EMT in Tucson, Arizona. In the Nectow Lab, he is interested in understanding thermoregulation through the lens of brainstem neurons communicating with peripheral end-effector organs.

This past summer, Julian was awarded Columbia University's Summer Program for Underrepresented Students (SPURS) fellowship to pursue this line of research in the lab.

Outside of the lab, Julian competes on Columbia's fencing team and likes to go hiking.

Ji Ku

Undergraduate Student

Ji received her AA from Montgomery County Community College and BS in physics from Muhlenberg College. She is currently pursuing a BS in Electrical Engineering at Columbia University. Her past experience involved studying alternative energy sources and micro-biotechnology, during summers spent in the REU program and Temple University research internship. Ji is currently working on personal projects related to her field. In the Nectow Lab, she is currently working on animal pose estimation using deep neural networks.

Outside of the lab, Ji spends time with her family, playing video games, and working on side projects.

Mingyuan Zhang

Undergraduate Student

Mingyuan is pursuing his BS in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University. He is specializing in circuits and electronics. He is also experienced in mechanical design and computational neuroscience. He previously worked as an assistant engineer at Tuman Technology Co., Ltd (Beijing, CHN), where he worked on fabrication of alloyed material and mechanical design. Shortly after, he initiated multiple independent projects on logical and analog circuitry design. In the Nectow Lab, Mingyuan is interested in leveraging his electrical engineering background to model neural circuit function by integrating single-cell and polysynaptic tracing studies.

In his free time, Mingyuan enjoys reading about history and historical analysis. You can also find him traveling around the world to explore local foods.

Sevilla Duran

Undergraduate Student

Sevilla is an undergraduate student in the lab planning to major in Neuroscience and Behavior at Columbia University. Her previous experience involves clinical work, involving peri-operative rehabilitation. In the Nectow Lab, she is interested in focusing her efforts on mapping neurons that help regulate different parameters key for maintaining proper energy stores.

Outside of the lab, Sevilla competes on Columbia's Track and Field team, and loves to be outdoors, exploring the amazing restaurants in New York City.

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 differential expression patterns across the brain in response to various metabolic stimuli.

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.