Polleux Lab

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Emiliano did his PhD in Dr. Pablo Helguera’s lab at the National University of Córdoba, Argentina, and held a postdoctoral position in Dr. Gia Voeltz’s lab at Colorado University Boulder. In 2022 he joined the Polleux lab, where he studies how organelle composition shapes neuronal function across the mouse cortex.

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Juyoun did her PhD in Larry Zipursky Lab at UCLA, where she studied molecular principles of motion-vision circuit wiring using Drosophila eyes. She joined the Polleux lab to study temporal regulation of developmental genetic programs. Outside the lab, Juyoun plays squash to practice her motion vision.

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Ivan Voitov is working on synaptic and molecular mechanisms of feature selectivity in the hippocampus.

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Maëla's connection with the Polleux lab began in 2016 as an intern. Now, in August 2024, she returns as a postdoctoral researcher co-mentored by both the Lomvardas and Polleux labs. Maëla completed her master's degree at the École Normale Supérieure and her PhD at the Collège de France in the team of Fekrije Selimi in Paris. Her current postdoc research centers on investigating the mechanisms underlying the precMaëla's connection with the Polleux lab began in 2016 as an intern. Now, in August 2024, she returns as a postdoctoral researcher co-mentored by both the Lomvardas and Polleux labs. Maëla completed her master's degree at the École Normale Supérieure and her PhD at the Collège de France in the team of Fekrije Selimi in Paris. ise targeting and connectivity of neurons that project to multiple, distinct brain regions. By conducting this research jointly, the aim is to uncover whether different neuron types employ similar strategies to coordinate the guidance and targeting of their extensive, multi-branched axonal projections.

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Lucas completed his PhD in Dr. Belén Elgoyhen’s laboratory in Argentina, where he investigated synaptic plasticity mechanisms underlying cochlear function. He then pursued postdoctoral training in Dr. Anne Takesian’s lab at Mass Eye and Ear–Harvard Medical School, focusing on cortical inhibitory circuits that support sensory perception and learning. His current work in the Polleux lab aims to elucidate the role of mitochondria in sustaining synaptic activity across mouse cortical regions.

GRADUATE STUDENT

Sergio graduated from the City University of New York at Hunter College, where he received a B.A/M.A in Biology with a sub-specialization in Bio-technology. During his time in the Polleux lab he will be coupling genetics, molecular biology, and microscopy to understand how human-specific genetic changes impact synaptic plasticity.

GRADUATE STUDENT

Aleks is an MD-PhD student in the Neurobiology and Behavior Program. She joined the Polleux lab in 2022 and studies how human-specific gene duplications impact the timing of synaptic development.

GRADUATE STUDENT

Max obtained a BS in Neuroscience from McGill University in 2022 and is a now a graduate student in the Biological Sciences program. He joined the lab in 2023 and is collaborating with Kapil Ramachandran to study the the role of molecular machinery in hippocampal circuit function.

GRADUATE STUDENT

David graduated from Vassar College in 2022, where he worked with Hadley Bergstrom to study how fear memories develop over time, with an emphasis on understanding psychiatric disorders. After graduation, he served as a research technician in Christoph Kellendonk’s lab, using patch clamp slice electrophysiology to investigate the physiological outcomes of prefrontal cortex development in mice. David is currently a PhD student in the Neurobiology and Behavior Program at Columbia. When not in the lab, he can be found singing with the Empire City Men’s Chorus or hunched over his DJ equipment.

RESEARCH TECHNICIAN

Qiaolian earned her master's degree in Biochemistry from CUNY. Prior to joining our lab, Qiaolian worked as a Research Specialist at the Pyle and Jessell labs. She joined the Polleux lab in 2018, as a technician to help maintain the mouse colonies, creating transgenic mice and supplying timed pregnant mice for the embryos brain IUE study.

LAB MANAGER/SENIOR STAFF ASSOCIATE I

Rhythm did her Master’s in Biotechnology from NYU. She worked as a Lab Manager and Research Staff Assistant at the Maniatis lab from June 2019 where she engaged in pioneering experiments to elucidate the structure and function of neural circuits in healthy and diseased mammalian systems. She joined the Polleux lab as a Lab Manager in June 2020.