People
Jelena Radulovic
Jelena Radulovic studies how stressful experiences affect the brain memory circuits, and how stress-related memories influence social and emotional behavior. In addition to her laboratory in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience at Einstein, she is also leading a research laboratory in the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University in Denmark.
Dr. Radulovic’s experiments combine genetic mouse models with molecular, cellular, and circuit manipulations of the extended hippocampal circuit. With these approaches, she aims to advance our knowledge of the neurobiology of stress and identify brain mechanisms that could pose a risk for affective disorders, such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic amnesia.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Ana Cicvaric
I graduated from the University of Belgrade (Serbia) with a degree in Physical Chemistry and MSc in Biophysical chemistry. I received my Ph.D. in Molecular Signal Transduction from the Medical University of Vienna (Austria) in 2017. I joined Radulovic Lab in June 2018. My research is focused on exploring neural circuits that are involved in encoding of temporal information that are necessary for the formation of associative memories between temporally discontinuous events. When I am not in the lab, I spend my time painting, exploring the outdoors with friends and watching theater.
Hui Zhang
After receiving my Ph.D. at Nankai University, I started my postdoc career at Radulovic Lab in 2019. My current research interest is to identify the developmental changes at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels in the adolescent brain and to understand how those changes affect contextual learning and memory. Outside of the lab, I enjoy exploring outdoors, cooking, and video games.
Maayan Krispil-Alon
I hold a Ph.D. from the Neurobiology Department, at the University of Haifa. My Ph.D. study focused on sex-specific roles of hippocampal microRNAs in stress vulnerability and resilience. In my current study I am seeking to understand hippocampal subregions’ connectivity with the retrosplenial cortex in contextual memory formation. I examine changes in behavior and miRNA expression levels following early life stress and their relations to connectivity circuits. When I’m not busy in the lab, I enjoy taking in the natural beauty that surrounds New York City and making the most of the city’s buzzing urban atmosphere.
Graduate Students
Thomas Bassett
I graduated from the University at Buffalo in 2020 as a double major in Computational Biology and Computer Science. In the lab, I employ a variety of circuit level techniques to investigate the mechanisms controlling social memory in the hippocampus. My goal is to understand how social memory interacts with the episodic memory system. Outside of the lab, I enjoy going on hikes, playing board games with friends, and watching movies.
Elizabeth Wood
I graduated from Fordham University in 2020 with an Integrative Neuroscience major and Bioethics minor. In the lab, I explore neuroinflammatory signaling pathways underlying aversive memory formation. I enjoy all things learning, memory, and microscopy. Outside of the lab, I like to train for marathons, try new vegan recipes, and explore New York City with friends.
Research Technician
Anna Carboncino
I am Anna, and I joined the Radulovic Laboratory one and a half years ago. I work as a technician, breeding mice, making orders, and assisting other members. Outside the laboratory, I like to walk with Dory (my dog), to draw, and to go to explore the city.
PREP Scholar
Kendra Parker
A self-proclaimed wanderer of sorts. Originated in Hollywood, Florida. Attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. And wound up in the Bronx, New York doing what she could only dream of; studying neurons through the lens of behavior. She hopes to achieve her MD/Ph.D., and use her work to give back to BIPOC and Low-Income communities.