Throughout my undergraduate and master studies (in Psychobiology and Biomolecular Sciences respectively), I became more and more intrigued by the molecular mechanisms at play in neurons and how they govern complex cognitive processes that occur in the brain such as learning and memory. As part of my master’s program, I conducted an internship at the Schuman Lab (Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, Germany), where I was involved in projects directed at developing molecular tools to study subcellular complexity in neurons, with an emphasis on the synaptic compartment.
I joined the Molecular Engrams team led by dr. Priyanka Rao-Ruiz in May 2023 as a PhD student.
My project here aims to 1) investigate how the synaptic proteome is structured in memory engrams and regulated to support memory, and 2) examine whether and how electrophysiological features of engram cells regulate synaptic connectivity underlying memory. To address these questions, I will combine transgenic mouse lines with behavioral paradigms, learning-dependent in vivo labelling of engram cells, isolation and sorting of engram-specific synapses, quantitative proteomic analysis and cell-specific manipulations.