Erynn Christensen (SHE/HER), CHAIR

Postdoctoral Researcher, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, NY, USA

Erynn Christensen, PhD is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the the Brain-Based Predictive Modeling (BPM) lab lead by Assistant Professor Elvisha Dhamala based at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. She investigates the influence of sex hormones on neurocognitive functions. Erynn is particularly interested in relationships between fluctuations in female sex hormones, neurocognition, and mental health, both across the menstrual cycle and during key life transitional periods such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Erynn earned her Bachelor of Psychological Sciences (with Honours) in 2017 and completed her PhD in 2024 at Monash University, Australia. 

Fun fact: Erynn was a real theatre nerd back in high school, and almost chose acting over neuroscience. 

Twitter/X: @ErynnChristens1

LinkedIn: Erynn Christensen

Trang Ngoc Cao, Secretary

Trang Ngoc Cao is a Research Fellow, working with Prof Alex Fornito, at the School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University.

Her research currently focuses on using MRI to understand brain anatomy and function in both health and disease.

In her spare time, she just loves walking in the Aussie bush.

She once dreamed of climbing Everest but that doesn’t seem like a challenge anymore after having her child.

IOANA GRIGORAS (SHE/HER), TREASURER

Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Ioana is a postdoctoral researcher working with Prof. Charlotte Stagg at the University of Oxford. Her research uses non-invasive brain stimulation and neuroimaging techniques to study the mechanisms underpinning motor learning in both healthy people and stroke survivors.

Ioana loves gardening and taking care of her house plants – she has a lemon tree called Leonard and can’t wait to pick up the first lemon!

Twitter/x: @IoanaGrigoras4

LinkedIn

Davide momi, SOCIAL COORDINATOR

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stanford University, USA

Davide is a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University, where he applies whole-brain modelling to optimize brain stimulation treatments, particularly for mental health disorders. His work bridges computational neuroscience and multimodal neuroimaging, integrating techniques like EEG, MEG, and TMS to explore brain function and improve clinical outcomes.

Davide is a former basketball player. Outside lab, he is a calisthenics athlete and a passionate

cook, with a particular expertise in crafting risotto. He loves staying in contact with nature.

Josh tan - social media and communications manager

Postdoctoral Researcher at Center for Neuroscience Imaging Research, South Korea

Josh is a postdoctoral researcher working with Prof Hakwan Lau. Previously his research focused on cortico-cerebellar interactions during both motor and non-motor actions in human fMRI data. Now his research is focused on using neurofeedback with widefield calcium imaging in mice.

Josh is a tennis coach on the side and is always looking for anyone up for a game of tennis.

Twitter/X: @JoshTan19

Priscila Thalenberg Levi, career development and mentoring manager

Priscila is a second year PhD candidate at Monash University with Prof. Alex Fornito.

She's interested in how individual differences in brain organisation and the role of the sub-cortex in modulating cortical function change through development. She is currently using functional imaging and geometric eigenmodes to help her answer these questions. 

Priscila is an international student from Brazil, who loves chatting, travelling, going for a swim, snowboarding and playing board games. 

Timothy jordan,career development and mentoring manager

Tim is a postdoctoral researcher currently at Emory University. His work focuses on exploring how MR imaging and analyses can be used for diagnostic and treatment monitoring in clinical populations. Specifically, his current research focuses on chronic pain populations with TMD or Fibromyalgia with the hope to expand to migraine and opioid addiction.

In his free time, Tim enjoys training in mixed martial arts, photography, hiking, and trading card games.

Personal Website: https://timjordanphd.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-jordan-72536bb8/

Lea stith - blog editor

PhD Candidate, Boston University, USA

Lea is a third-year PhD student in the Graduate Program for Neuroscience at Boston University. Her research investigates how chronic stress–including stress stemming from experiences of racism–affects brain health in emerging adults, and explores the role of exercise as a potential buffer against these stressors. In her free time, Lea enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring the outdoors and the city, reading, and figure skating.

X: @StithLea

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leastith

Matthew Greaves, CHAIR-elect

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne, Australia

Matthew is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychiatry at The University of Melbourne, working with Ben Harrison. He completed his PhD training with Adeel Razi at Monash University, developing structurally informed dynamic causal modelling frameworks to study how structural connectivity shapes directed neuronal communication. His current work focuses on further developing, validating, and applying these models to better understand neuropsychiatric disorders.

Outside of research, Matthew enjoys making music, bouldering, and learning Italian. Piano piano si va lontano.

Twitter/X/Bsky: @matthewdgreaves

Gabriella Chan, Secretary-ELECT

PhD Candidate, Monash University, Australia

Gabriella is a third‑year PhD candidate at Monash University in the lab of Prof. Alex Fornito. She is broadly interested in the principles and mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders. Her current work integrates brain connectivity and gene expression to explain disease-related gray matter volume changes. In her free time she enjoys cooperative board games and spending time with her cat.

Twitter/X: @epsilongreedy
Bluesky: @genetic-gacha.bsky.social

Sidhant Chopra, Treasurer-ELECT 

Research Fellow, Centre for Youth Mental Health (Orygen), Australia

Dr. Sidhant Chopra is a neuroscientist and psychologist at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is currently a McKenzie Research Fellow at Orygen, the Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, where he leads a program of research on the cognitive and computational neuroscience of psychosis.

X: @SidChop

Bluesky: @sidchop.bsky.social

Clara Weber, SOCIAL COORDINATOR-elect

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Max Plank Institute, Germany

Clara is a medical doctor and postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Sofie Valk at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and the Research center Jülich in Germany. She works on multimodal MRI signatures of connectome atypicality in neurodevelopment, especially in the neonatal period, and stroke.

Interesting fact: Clara loves long-distance running, good coffee, and dogs!

Bluesky: claraweber.bsky.social

Nima Zargarnezhad, career development and mentoring manager-elect

Neuroscience PhD student, Western Centre for Brain and Mind, Western University, Canada

Nima works with Dr. Ingrid Johnsrude and Dr. Jörn Diedrichsen to investigate the signatures of healthy brain connectivity under naturalistic stimulation. Based on these signatures, he is developing biomarkers to help localize the epileptogenic zone in epilepsy patients for pre-surgical planning.

Outside the lab, Nima can often be found baking or playing the cello with his orchestra or all-cello ensemble.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nima-zargarnezhad/

Twitter/X: @Nima_ZN

Da-Yea Song, career development and mentoring manager-elect

PhD Student, Johns Hopkins University, USA

Da-Yea is a third year PhD student working with Drs. Heather Volk and Calliope Holingue. Her research focuses on autism and brain development in children. Recently, she is expanding her work to include parents and to explore the familial transmission of neurodevelopmental conditions.

As a lifelong global nomad, Da-Yea loves traveling and is a devoted Korean baseball fan.

Lada Kohoutova, social media and communications manager-elect

Postdoctoral researcher, Neuro-X Institute, EPFL, Switzerland

Lada is a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience at EPFL, Switzerland, working with Prof. Olaf Blanke. Her research focuses on the neural basis of subjective experiences and consciousness. Currently, she investigates the mechanisms underlying hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease using functional MRI.

Lada loves music, weightlifting, and salsa dancing—and she’s always on the hunt for the best coffee in town.

Twitter/X: @la_da_k
Bluesky: @la-da.bsky.social

Amy Sylvester, blog editor-elect

PhD candidate, Mental Health and Neuroscience Research Institute, Maastricht University, Netherlands

Amy is a PhD candidate working with Prof Thérèse van Amelsvoort, Dr Claudia Vingerhoets, and Dr Dimo Ivanov researching neurotransmitter systems in 22q11.2 copy number variant syndromes. Her research explores the mechanisms by which these rare genetic disorders predispose individuals to psychiatric and cognitive problems using ultra-high field multimodal MRI techniques and clinical assessment.

Amy supplements her grandma hobbies of baking, cooking, reading, and collecting houseplants and tea with advocacy, spending time in the outdoors, and playing video games.