Members

Dr. Mamoru Tanaka, Postdoctoral Scholar
Email: mamoru.tanaka at oist.jp

Mamoru has Ph.D. in science from Doshisha University. During his Ph.D. course, he studied synaptic plasticity using whole-cell patch clamp recording from pyramidal cells, interneurons, and mossy fiber boutons at the hippocampal CA3 area. Now as a postdoctoral scholar in the Goda Unit, he will focus on investigating homeostatic synaptic plasticity in hippocampal networks.

Dr. Maria Vazaquez Pavon, Postdoctoral Scholar
Email: maria-vazquez at oist.jp

Maria has a Master’s in Drug Discovery and a PhD in Neuroscience. During her PhD, she studied the role of Nogo-A as a plasticity suppressor in both physiological and pathological conditions, mainly using field electrophysiological recordings. Now, as a postdoctoral scholar in the Goda Unit, she will focus on understanding the role of astrocytes on synaptic plasticity and synaptic communication.

Dr. Vasileios Glykos, Postdoctoral Scholar
Email: vasileios.glykos at oist.jp

Vasilis graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne with a Ph.D. degree in Neuroscience, studying the cellular and synaptic mechanisms of in vitro models of cortical oscillations. He then worked at the Center of Brain Science at RIKEN to investigate the short-term memory encoding properties of dopamine neurons.  Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Yukiko Goda laboratory in OIST, exploring the astrocyte-neuron interactions that regulate synaptic behavior.

Dr. Wen-Hsin Lu, Postdoctoral Scholar
Email: wen.lu at oist.jp

Wen-Hsin graduated from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Molecular Medicine Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP-MM), Academia Sinica, Taiwan. She first worked as a postdoctoral fellowship in Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica to investigate how presynaptic local translation contributes to neurotransmitter vesicles and memory. Now she joins the Goda Unit in OIST as a postdoctoral scholar to explore the astrocytic morphology and constitution in brain areas.

Alisher Khojanazarov, Research Unit Technician
Email: alisher.khojanazarov at oist.jp

Their name is Ali, and they are from Kazakhstan. They have completed both a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and a master’s degree in Molecular Medicine from Nazarbayev University, Astana. Their previous research projects include studying the role of the periostin protein in Inflammatory Bowel Disease during their undergraduate studies and investigating its role in peripheral nerve regeneration for their master’s thesis. Due to their interest in neuroscience, they are excited to work at the Goda Unit. Their tasks include culturing neurons and astrocytes, taking care of mice, and housekeeping the lab. In addition, they study the function of NMDA receptors in astrocytes. 

Paulette Garcia Andaluz, PhD Student
Email: paulette.garcia at oist.jp

Paulette holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. During her undergraduate studies, she conducted research on the serotoninergic system of a Mexican endemic species of octopus to gain insight into how this neurotransmitter regulates their behavior and cognition. She investigated the distribution of serotonin and the 5-HT specific receptor 5-HT1A in the octopus brain using immunolabeling and epifluorescence microscopy.

Currently, Paulette is pursuing her Ph.D. at the Goda Unit, where she is learning patch-clamp electrophysiological techniques. Her research interests lie in exploring the interplay between Homeostatic and Hebbian synaptic plasticity and how they contribute to the long-term storage of memory in mice.

Anna Pavlovska, Rotation Student
Email: a.pavlovska at oist.jp

Natsumi Sadaoka, Research Intern
Email: natsumi.sadaoka at oist.jp

Sten Uijtewaal, Research Intern
Email: sten.uijtewaal at oist.jp

Hiroki Tokizaki, Research Intern
Email: hiroki.tokizaki at oist.jp

Tetiana Salamovska, Research Intern
Email: tetiana.salamovska at oist.jp

Tomoe Furuya, Research Unit Administrator
Email: tomoe.furuya at oist.jp