SFARI

John Rubenstein is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. The goal of his laboratory’s research is to elucidate fundamental mechanisms that regulate development of the forebrain, with a focus on the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia. The studies in his laboratory also extend into other regions of the embryo, including the developing face. Whenever possible, Rubenstein attempts to investigate whether disruption of these mechanisms underlie human disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia, intellectual disability, epilepsy and craniofacial disorders. The overarching hope is that these studies provide insights and new inroads into diagnosis, prevention and treatment of these disorders.

Evan Feinberg is an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy and a member of the Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience and the Center for Integrative Neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco.

He received his undergraduate degree in biochemical sciences at Harvard University, where he worked with Craig Hunter on the molecular mechanisms underlying systemic spread of RNA interference in C. elegans. His doctoral studies were conducted at The Rockefeller University in the laboratory of Cori Bargmann, where he developed GRASP (GFP Reconstitution Across Synaptic Partners), a method that enables in vivo visualization of synapses between defined neurons.

Feinberg pursued postdoctoral training at Harvard University with Markus Meister, where he performed the first two-photon calcium imaging study of the superior colliculus and discovered its columnar functional architecture. The Feinberg lab studies sensorimotor integration using optical, genetic and behavioral methods in mice and has received research support from the E.M. Ziegler, Brain & Behavior Research and the Whitehall Foundation in addition to receiving a Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship Award.

Karen Walton-Bowen joined Clinical Research Associates in 2014 to oversee clinical operations, biostatistical analysis and reporting, and the arbaclofen program. Walton-Bowen is an expert in clinical development across multiple therapeutic areas within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, including gastrointestinal, neuroscience, respiratory, cardiovascular, lysosomal storage disorders, inflammation and pain control.

Tesar joined the faculty at CWRU in 2010 and is currently the Dr. Donald and Ruth Weber Goodman Professor of Innovative Therapeutics at CWRU School of Medicine. His laboratory has pioneered new regenerative approaches to treat myelin disorders of the central nervous system, including multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, pediatric leukodystrophies, cerebral palsy and brain cancer.

Catharine Rankin completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology at the University of Guelph, and a doctorate in biopsychology at the City University of New York. Following her graduate work, she did postdoctoral research focused on the development of learning in the marine mollusk Aplysia with Thomas Carew at Yale University before joining the faculty of the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, where she is currently a full professor.

Peng Zhang is an assistant professorCase Western Reserve University. He studies the role of HS 3-O-sulfation in neurexin-ligand binding and its effect on synaptic function in autism mouse models.

Yann Herault is a neurobiologist studying the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).