Alumni

Dr. Aysen Gurkan Ozer, Lab Manager & Research Technician 2017-2023

aysen.gurkan

I joined Neuronal Rhythms in Movement (nRIM) Unit in April 2017 and started to learn something totally different; Neuroscience! Considering my background all in engineering, joining this unit is one of the most challenging decisions I have ever made in my life; to become a surgeon! But, I am so lucky that everyone in the lab are very well-equipped in both theoretical and practical knowledge and they are great in patience. My personal motivation for catching up my team is: "The ones considering not to have rest never get tired!" M.K.ATATURK

My concentration, for now, is helping my team to reach and image the deepest regions of brain effectively with the least damages by my surgeries. In the future, my interest might be repairing the inferior olive tissue damages at the cellular level via photo-thermal interactions by laser light.

Dr. Kevin Dorgans, Postdoc 2018-2022

My principal focus is to understand how sensorimotor information is processed by brain cells. More precisely, to study how neuronal networks are sensitive to an environment in perpetual change. I am also deeply interested in climbing, Aikido, running or any kind of outdoor activity … maybe that’s why my brain feels concerned by sensorimotor inputs, who knows?
In the team, I have the unique opportunity to combine different tools for studying neuronal networks such as the study of synaptic neurotransmitter release behavior, calcium and voltage imaging and much more. Now, the challenge for me is to start working on terra incognita; the inferior olive. Indeed, I like challenging myself a lot and being post-doc in the team is a good place for that. It might be the best opportunity for me to perform cutting-edge science into a free and serene environment.

Ms. Saeko Hedo, Research Unit Administrator 2017 - 2019

I am very happy to be a member of Yoe Team (Uusisaari Unit)! Like building a machine with big or small, keen and complicated parts, Prof. Uusisaari is developing a great team in one year. To make the team stronger and heart-warming, I would like to support all the team members as much as I can.

I don’t have a scientific back-ground but hope to share some scientific interests with members. I also hope all the lab members to enjoy Okinawa and OIST life, and one of their good memories in their science life.

Dr. Alexander Kuck, Postdoc 2017-2019

I am a Biomedical Engineer mainly focusing on understanding, decoding and controlling the behavior of neural circuits, with possible applications in basic neuroscience and rehabilitation engineering. Modern neuro-scientific research is a fascinating field, evolving to become more demanding, interdisciplinary and collaborative by the minute. Within this neural maze of never ending scientific questions, I enjoy bridging technology and science to tackle extraordinarily hard questions. With an ever-increasing scientific complexity, I believe that good science can only evolve from an open, inspiring and collaborative environment.

I am currently establishing the hardware/software framework for a real-time motion capture experiments to allow the decoding of motor-related brain circuitry, especially those related to olivo-cerebellar motor pathways. My spare time I spend doing sports (martial arts, cycling) as well as working on my artistic skills. 

Dr. Emmanuelle Albert, researcher (Sep - Dec 2018)

It’s a stroke of luck to be in Neural Rhythms in Movement Unit, with Professor Uusisaari, an astounding woman! I joined the lab in September 2018. Professor Uusisaari needed an electrophysiologist for a few months and I was available! During my brief stay there, I helped in preserving the knowledge of slice preparation specific to NRIM and passed it on. This short period of time in NRIM allowed me to recover from a serious injury and changed my scientific perspectives. I am personally interested in neuroplasticity, synaptic remodeling, in other words how the CNS undergoes structural and functional changes to produce modified behaviors. On single cells level, how the information is encoded, shaped and transmitted.

I noticed a harmonious and friendly environment in this unit, which is of tremendous importance while doing science. A strong spirit of being involved in the work all together and helping each other is felt within the team. Last but not least, I believe that good things will come out from Neural Rhythms in Movement Unit. Keep it up guys!!!

Dr. Alex Tang, Postdoc (May 2016 - Aug 2017)

Present affiliation: Lecturer, Experimental and Regenerative Neurosciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia. Alex.Tang@uwa.edu.au 

Understanding the brain is often described as the final frontier in science and despite the wealth of  research conducted over the last few decades, a lot remains unknown. Luckily for us, neuroscience has never been more exciting as we now have access to an evergrowing range of technology and biological tools that allow us to investigate the brain in great detail from the genetic to behavioral level. 

My personal interest in neuroscience centers around neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change its structural and functional connectivity to produce new or modified behaviors. I'm particularly interested in how single cells process and transmit information to shape plasticity at the network level. I like to ask difficult and often annoying questions, despite my alleged strong Australian accent.