Principal Investigator
Tomás J. Ryan, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Biochemistry & Immunology
Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institutes
& Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience
Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
Honorary Senior Research Fellow
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
University of Melbourne, Australia
Email / ResearchGate / Google Scholar / Twitter / Profile
Staff Members
Lydia Marks
Laboratory Manager
Lydia received her B.Sc. in Neuroscience with a minor in Philosophy from Dickinson College (Pennsylvania, U.S.A). During her undergraduate studies, she researched the effects of Bisphenol A (BPA) on peripubescent mice and investigated coding in the motor cortex using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Since graduating, she has taught at an outdoor science school and most recently was the Project Manager at TEDMED, the health and medicine edition of the TED conference. Lydia is interested in understanding the ways in which different types of memories are stored and recalled, and how emotions and environmental cues affect these processes. Outside of science, Lydia enjoys hiking and rock climbing.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Maurizio Pezzoli
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email / ResearchGate / LinkedIn
Maurizio originally studied biochemistry, before completing a Ph.D. in Neurobiology at the University of Chile, focusing on patch clamping and slice physiology. He then spent five years working as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the research group of Henry Markram at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland. During his career, he has studied how the biophysical properties of neurons modulate signalling, and has been involved in the deep mapping of mammalian brains in order to elucidate the basic organisational principles of different functional areas. As part of his constant interest in how neurophysiological properties tangle together to create a functional mind, he is now putting his efforts in elucidating the rules behind the formation and preservation of memory engrams.
Clara Ortega de San Luis
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email / ResearchGate / LinkedIn
Clara holds a B.Sc. in Biology (University of Jaén, Spain). She joined the lab of Dr. Alberto Pascual at the Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (Spain) where she received her M.Sc. and PhD in Neuroscience. During her Ph.D., Clara studied GDNF (Glial-cell derived neurotrophic factor) and its role on Parkinson’s disease physiopathology. She also studied microglial response to hypoxia in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. As a Postdoc in the Ryan Lab, Clara is interested in the molecular basis of memory engram function, to better understand the link between fundamental brain function and memory. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and listening to podcasts.
James O’Leary
Postdoctoral Research Associate
James originally graduated with a B.Sc. in Psychology from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and an M.Sc. from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. He then conducted his Ph.D. in Behavioural Neuroscience in the research groups of John Cryan, Yvonne Nolan and Olivia O’Leary at University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. His Ph.D. research focussed on the effects of stress and exercise during adolescence and adulthood on hippocampal neurogenesis and cognition. As a Postdoc in the Ryan Lab, James is interested in the neurobiology of learning and memory throughout development. Outside of the lab James enjoys travelling, reading and is passionate about programming and electronics. (Starting in November 2017)
Graduate Students
Sarah Power
Graduate Student
Sarah graduated with a B.Sc. in Neuroscience from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2016. She conducted undergraduate research at the Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry in Ruhr-Universitat, Germany, on the cellular mechanisms underlying aberrant protein folding and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. Following graduation, Sarah worked as a research assistant for the APC Microbiome Institute at University College Cork (UCC) before beginning her current position as a doctoral student in the Ryan Lab. Sarah’s current research focuses on studying the neurobiological mechanisms of memory storage across development. In her personal time, Sarah like to sail, swim, and travel.
Antoine Harel
Graduate Student
After obtaining a B.Sc. in Life Sciences from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC) in Paris, France, Antoine joined the two-year international Dual Masters in Brain and Mind Sciences programme at University College London (UCL), U.K. In Hugo Spier’s research group at UCL he studied spatial cognition and memory in humans. He then worked on Sidney Weiner’s team at Collège de France in Paris. There, he researched learning and cognitive flexibility at the scale of neuronal networks in freely moving rats, using electrophysiological techniques. Antoine’s primary scientific interest and the focus of his Ph.D. research in the Ryan Lab is the biology of memory formation and maintenance, and how these mechanisms relate to behaviour. In his free time, Antoine enjoys travelling, listening to podcasts, hiking and running. (Starting October 2017)
Visiting Students
Sara Naya
Visiting Student