MEET THE TEAM
A distinctive element of NYUAD is a robust research environment, one that supports the disciplinary areas of the curriculum, creates collaborations in new and exciting interdisciplinary fields, nurtures the development of graduate programs, and supports research of the highest quality on topics of importance and relevance to Abu Dhabi and to our world today.
Associate Professor
Dipesh Chaudhury is interested in understanding pathophysiological changes in neural circuit functions that lead to mood disorders and memory loss. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of London (UK) and PhD from the Open University (UK) under the supervision of Prof. Steven Rose.
He has held various post-doctoral and associate scientist positions at UCLA (USA), CNRS in Marseille (France), Cornell University (USA) and Mount Sinai School of Medicine (USA). In Spring 2015 he joined the Biology faculty of NYU Abu Dhabi.
Dipesh was born in Malaysia and lived there till the age of 10, after which he spent the rest of his formative years in the UK. Dipesh (has been told he is happily) married to Keya, a talented graphic designer and the unofficial creative director of the group. Together, they have a budding scientist/artist daughter Sarika, who has to deal with the majority of her dad’s terrible jokes.
Research Associate
Priyam Narain received her PhD degree in November 2018, from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi,India, one of the most prestigious institute in India. Her graduate research focused on understanding the genetic basis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in Indian patients and employed high throughput screening techniques. Her study was the first to establish the genetic basis of ALS in India. Under the mentorship of Dr. Justin Blau and Dr Dipesh Chaudhury, she will employing single cell analysis and electrophysiology techniques to identify the molecular mechanisms driving rhythmic excitability in PER1 and non PER1 cell. She would also investigate the gene expression program that allows Period1-expressing SCN neurons to survive sustained depolarization. This may help understand how to prevent the neuronal cell death in several neurological disorders. In her leisure time she loves travelling to new places, listening to Indian music and trying out new recipes.
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Mohsin Mohammed brings a rich interdisciplinary background encompassing neurophysiology, biomaterials, and pharmaceutical sciences. His expertise lies in the realm of neural interfaces and biocompatibility. Holding a distinguished PhD from Lund University in Sweden, Mohsin’s research focus revolved around the creation of remarkably biocompatible neural interfaces, specifically geared towards unravelling the intricacies of neural circuitry within Parkinson’s disease.
Notably, Dr. Mohammed stands as the author behind 2 patents in the domain of neural interfaces, underlining his innovative contributions. Prior to joining NYUAD, he was as a senior scientist at Neuronal Corporation in Sweden. He played a pivotal role in propelling and nurturing innovation, steering the development of pioneering technologies for Deep Brain Stimulation.
In the Chaudhury Lab, his research endeavors are dedicated to delving into the pathophysiological shifts in neural circuitry, with the overarching goal of deciphering the underlying causal relationship between sleep patterns and mood disorders. Dr. Mohammed’s work transcends the boundaries of conventional disciplines, offering promising insights at the intersection of neuroscience and technological advancement.
Research Associate
Ashutosh Rastogi did his PhD (2012, India) in the neurobiology of bird migration, where he trained in neuroanatomy and studied the role of olfactory/ visual sensory systems and seasonal clock of migration. After his PhD, he moved to the USA for his postdoctoral training (2013-2018) under the mentorship of Prof. Eric Mintz at Kent State University, where he was involved in projects on circadian clock and neural basis of food anticipatory activity (FAA) in mice. Specifically, he investigated the sexually dimorphic nature and ontogenic differences in FAA, and how limited food availability affects estrous cyclicity and shifts peripheral circadian clock in ovaries in relation to master circadian clock (suprachiasmatic nucleus, SCN). In early 2019, he joined Dr. Chaudhury’s group at NYUAD as a research associate, where he will investigate the neural circuitry of depression and how these mood disorders compromise the circadian clock and/ or vice versa, using a combination of behavioral, neuroanatomical, electrophysiological and optogenetics tools.
Yana Al-Hebri, BSc
PhD researcher
Yana got her undergraduate degree from Nagoya University in Japan where she worked on the relationship between the gut and brain under the mentorship of Prof. Kentaro Noma. Her project explored how C. elegans' thermosensory behaviour was affected by their diet as they aged. Her hobbies include walking around, working out, and playing Pokemon.
MALVIKA SHARMA, MSc
Research Assistant
The latest member of the Chaudhury Lab, who joined as a Research Assistant, Malvika some times wears the hat of the Lab’s Manager as well. With a knack for understanding mouse behavior, Malvika excels in creating engaging experiments to assess neurological functions. Backed by an MS in Neuroscience from Universiti Sains Malaysia (Health Campus), and Bachelor’s in Biotechnology from India, Malvika brings with her a diverse skill set. Whether performing in vivo surgeries or managing lab logistics, she ensures smooth coordination of lab projects, making her a key contributor to the team. Malvika’s master’s project focused on studying the plausible involvement of neuroinflammatory factors with regards to enhancement of pathological reward seeking behavior in mice exposed to Mitragynine compound. At the Chaudhury Lab, Malvika’s work is primarily focused on understanding the neural dynamics regulating the quality of life in particular, sleep and behavior in animals exposed to early life stress. Outside of lab, you will find her in her kitchen learning and trying on new recipes, or exploring a new city on holidays. She loves everything related to interior design and listening to podcasts to widen her knowledge.
Janine Micahella Garcia Contreras
NYUAD Capstone Student
Janine is a Filipino undergraduate student pursuing a major in Biology under the the Brain & Cognitive Sciences track, alongside a minor in Anthropology. She is passionate to learn about the intersection between neurobiology and behavior, both in the individual and societal scope, and is a big fan of engaging yet effective science communication.
Michelle Hughes
NYUAD Capstone Student
Michelle is a New Zealand/American undergraduate senior pursuing a major in Biology under the Brain & Cognitive Sciences track. Pursuing a pre-med track, her research interests are in the intersection between neurobiology and behavior.
Sakura Frances Grant
NYUAD Undergraduate Student
Sakura is a sophomore at NYUAD majoring in biology with a specialization in neuroscience, and is on the pre-med track. She loves to sing and play the piano and is in a band with her friends on campus. She also likes to play tennis and to go on outdoor adventures like hiking, climbing, and sailing.
Aleksa Petković
NYUAD Undergraduate Student
Aleksa is a Montenegrin undergraduate student, majoring in Biology and Psychology. He is interested in investigating depression-related circuitry, behavioural prediction of susceptibility and impairment of cognitive abilities due to chronic stress.
Marko Šušić
NYUAD Undergraduate Student
Marko is a Montenegrin undergraduate student double majoring in Biology and Psychology at NYU Abu Dhabi. His research interests are oriented towards investigating gene expression profiles in mice exposed to social stress and using deep neural networks to predict stress susceptibility.
Balázs Szerényi
NYUAD Undergraduate Student
Balázs was a Hungarian Biology undergraduate student with a minor in Psychology. His research interest in the lab was to investigate the connection between the nervous system and hormonal regulation. In his free time, he likes playing table top role-playing games, reading, and playing the piano.
Moyosoreoluwa Olatosi
NYUAD Undergraduate Student
Moyo graduated from NYUAD (2024) with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a specialization in Brain and Cognitive Science, and a minor in Psychology. As a capstone student in the Chaudhury Lab, she investigated how spaceflight conditions, particularly microgravity and increased stress hormones, affect the circadian expression of peripheral clock genes in Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts. Moyo is passionate about medicine, and hopes to become a physician in future. She also has an avid interest in public health and currently works at a non-profit organization where she implements programs to support young girls who are susceptible to HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. In her free time, she plays the piano, writes poetry, and obsesses over the Broadway show Hamilton.
Maj Škof
NYUAD Undergraduate Student
Maj is a Slovene undergraduate senior pursuing a double major in Biology and Psychology under the Brain & Cognitive Sciences track. Pursuing a pre-med track, his interests focus on the application of neuroscience to the clinical field.
Sanzhar Kakenov
NYUAD Undergraduate Student
Sanzhar is an undergraduate student from Kazakhstan pursuing a major in Biology under the Brain & Cognitive Sciences track, alongside a minor in Psychology. His research interests are oriented towards investigating the molecular mechanisms driving rhythmic excitability in PER1 and non-PER1 SCN neurons by employing single-cell analysis. Additionally, he is interested in multigenomics and using novel methods like RNA velocity to predict gene expression at later ZT time points.
BASMA RADWAN-IBRAHIM, PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Basma Radwan-Ibrahim received her bachelors degree in neural science from New York University, her masters of science in biomedical engineering from Boston University and her Ph.D. from New York University in 2015 under the tutelage of Dr André Fenton, where she investigated the neural correlates of cognitive impairment in a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome. Under the mentorship of Dr Dipesh Chaudhury, she investigated the role of sleep on modulating depression-like behaviours. She combined different research techniques ranging from rodent behaviours, in vitro and in vivo electrophysiology, cellular imaging and optogenetic methodologies. Basma is originally from Egypt and enjoys learning about history and ancient world civilizations. On her days off, Basma is busy running around and laughing with her two little daughters: Heidi and Deanna.
HE LIU, MD/PhD
Post-Doctoral Fellow
He Liu received his medical degree, specializing in Anesthesiology in 2006. After graduating, He Liu undertook the anesthesiology residency program from 2006-2008. He completed his M.M. training in the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology & Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology at Xuzhou Medical College, under the instruction of Professor Jun-li Cao (2011). He received his PhD in Anesthesiology from China Medical University under the instruction of Professor Li-Cai Zhang (2014). He subsequently worked as an anesthesiology residency in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College (2014-2015). During training for his M.M. and PhD, he performed a series of studies investigating Regulation of Pain Signal Transduction. In 2015, he joined the team of Prof. Chaudhury in NYUAD as a Postdoctoral Associate investigating functional changes in neural circuits connecting the circadian clock of the brain to regions associated with mood disorders such as depression.
ALVARO YAÑEZ TOUZET
Research Fellow
Alvaro was an inaugural Research Fellow at New York University Abu Dhabi (2020). He did his BSc in biology at NYUAD (2019), specializing in brain and cognitive science and graduating magna cum laude. A physician in the making, Alvaro aspires to be a global neurologist-scientist. He has lived in Chile, Peru, and the UAE; studied away in the US and Ghana; and volunteered in Ecuador and Colombia. His research interests lie in the crossroads between the emergence of behavior and neuronal biophysics. At Chaudhury Lab, he investigated the relationship between susceptibility to stress and sleep patterns, using electroencephalography, electromyography, and models of behavioral testing. Currently, he studies medicine at The University of Manchester (2025).
AYESHA AL HAMMADI
Research Assistant
Aisha received her bachelor degree from the United Arab Emirates University, majoring in cell biology with minor in cognitive science. She joined team of Prof. Chaudhury lab in NYUAD as a research assistant and she is a part of the Kawader program. she aims to gain a good research skills to pursue her higher education in the near future.
MARIAM ANWAR
NYUAD Graduate Student
Mariam graduated from NYUAD majoring in Biology on the pre-medical track, and minoring in literature and computer science.
VONGAI MLAMBO
NYUAD Graduate Student
Vongai Christine Mlambo graduated from NYUAD (2020) with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Psychology. During her time in the lab, Vongai launched and developed the techniques to assess the relationships between stress-susceptibility and disturbances in core body temperature in a rodent model of chronic social stress. After graduating, she spent 6 weeks as a post-graduate practical fellow in the lab, pioneering the use of passive infrared sensors to improve assessments of stress-induced activity changes. Vongai is now an MD candidate at Stanford University School of Medicine where she intends to apply her background in neuroscience research to clinical settings.
MERIMA SABANOVIC
NYUAD Graduate Student
Merima Sabanovic graduated from NYUAD majoring in Biology with a specialization in Brain and Cognitive Science and a minor in Psychology. Merima pioneered the winner-loser behavioural paradigm in the lab, which she d to investigate the effects of social stress exposure on expression of social dominance in rodents. After graduating from NYUAD she won a place with the Wellcome Trust Doctoral Training Program in Neuroscience, with further funding provided by the Clarendon Fund and is currently studying for a PhD in Oxford University.
GLORIA JANSEN
NYUAD Graduate Student
Gloria Jansen graduated from NYUAD majoring in Biology with a specialization in Brain & Cognitive Science. As part of her undergraduate research at NYU Abu Dhabi, Gloria spearheaded the use of transcriptomics to determine neuronal sub-populations in mice that are resilient or susceptible to chronic social defeat stress. After graduating from NYUAD Gloria received an MRC fellowship is currently studying for a PhD in Cambridge University.
HALA AQEL
NYUAD Graduate Student
Hala is a Palestinian-American graduated from NYUAD majoring in Biology. She is most passionate about health policy and hopes her work in that field can have a more widespread, global impact on healthcare. Her research interests focus on investigating the impact of induced jet lag models on susceptibility to stress-related depression in mice.
CHRISTINA ‘MISYA’ ERWIN
NYUSH Graduate student
Christina graduated from New York University Shanghai (NYUSH). She volunteered in the lab during her 3rd year studies at NYUAD and was enormously helpful in setting up the lab.
SOAAD HAMMAMI
NYUAD Undergraduate Student
Soaad is a Syrian Graduate student majoring in Biology at NYUAD with a minor in Film and New Media. Her interests are founded in biochemistry, organic chemistry, science democratization and communication for the general public.
PO Box 129188
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
