Brandon Bastien, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. in January in the Neuroscience Graduate Group and is a member of ASPE’s Hart Lab. Brandon graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in neuroscience with high honors. Since joining the Hart lab, his focus has been on defining the circuitry underling how C. elegans respond to food deprivation stress and how certain synaptic proteins, some of which have orthologues in humans (like neurexin), and neuromodulators may distinctly act within this behavior-generating circuit.

Kyuhyun Choi attended Kyung Hee University in Korea for their undergraduate training and was granted a PhD degree in 2016. Their dissertation research focused on defining neural circuits important for the interplay between learning and emotion. In particular, Kyuhyun used slice electrophysiology and in-vivo optogenetics to study intra-amygdala and septo-habenular circuits. Kyuhyun joining the Fuccillo lab in mid-2016 to extend their knowledge about the function of disease-associated molecules in neural circuit function. Currently they are working to understand the contribution of fronto-striatal sub-circuits to goal-directed behavior.

Mara Cowen, Ph.D., received her Ph.D in Neuroscience in January at the University of Pennsylvania and is currently working in Mike Hart’s lab. She received her Bachelor of Science in Developmental Neuroscience from the University of South Carolina, where she conducted research on the molecular mechanisms of rare neurodevelopmental disorders using human induced pluripotent stem cells. In the Hart lab, Mara is studying the effect of mutations in the autism-related gene, Neurexin, on social behavior, stress response, sleep, and neuronal morphology in C. elegans.

Stacey D. Elkhatib Smidt, M.D., was a physician and a T32 research trainee at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She completed her pediatrics and child neurology residency at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and her sleep medicine fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania/Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Given her background, Dr. Elkhatib Smidt is interested in sleep in autism spectrum disorder.

Brielle Gehringer was a Clinical Research Coordinator on the ASPE Study. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology. While at Penn, Brielle worked as a Research Assistant at the Center for Autism Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she studied cognition, linguistics, and communication in children with ASD.

Rebecca Kalik was a lab technician in Mike Hart’s lab. She graduated from Emory University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Linguistics. During her time at Emory, Rebecca studied the neural basis of social behavior in gerbils. In the Hart Lab, Rebecca works with C. elegans to study the impact of autism linked mutations on stress, sleep, and neuronal plasticity.

Allison Langer was a Clinical Research Coordinator on the ASPE Study. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in the Biological Basis of Behavior and Psychology. While at Penn, Allison worked as a Research Assistant at the Center for Autism Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she studied motor coordination in adolescents with ASD. After graduating, Allison worked at the Negev Autism Center in Israel where she researched methods for quantifying social symptoms of autism using motion capture.

Kyra Levy, M.S., was a Neuroscience graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania working towards her Ph.D. in Tom Jongens’ lab. She previously received her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University, and her Master’s degree in Neuroscience at Drexel University where she studied the involvement of the orexin/hypocretin system in cocaine self-administration in rats. In the Jongens lab, Kyra will be studying how mutations in Neurexin may affect sensory responses, sleep and circadian rhythm, and social behaviors in Drosophila melanogaster.

Maya Rajan is a Clinical Research Coordinator on the ASPE study. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience and a minor in American Sign Language & Deaf Studies. During her undergrad at Penn, Maya worked as a Research Assistant in the Brodkin Lab where she examined quantitative autism traits and completed her Neuroscience Thesis looking specifically at the phenotypes of individuals with NRXN1 variants.

Rose Rasty is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is engaged in research within Dr. Edward Brodkin’s lab. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania. Throughout her undergraduate years, she played an active role as a research assistant in Dr. Brodkin’s lab, and she successfully completed an honors thesis that focused on the study of social functioning in adults with autism.

Eric Rawot was a Clinical Research Coordinator on the ASPE Study. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in the Biological Basis of Behavior and Philosophy. While at Penn, Eric worked as a Research Assistant in the Boundaries of Anxiety and Depression Laboratory, where he studied the relationship between Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.

Marjorie Risman, M.A., was a Senior Research Coordinator & Project Manager on the ASPE team at the University of Pennsylvania. Her responsibilities have included recruiting research study participants; creating, managing and querying study databases using a variety of software; and interacting with university regulatory offices. She previously served in similar capacities at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Chandni Shah is a Clinical Research Coordinator for the ASPE study. She graduated from UPenn in ’22 with a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and minors in Chemistry and Healthcare Management. As an undergraduate student, Chandni worked as a Clinical Research Assistant in the Brodkin Lab, where she studied and helped carry out a novel social functioning program for adults on the autism spectrum. As a Clinical Research coordinator, she works on ASPE recruitment and phenotyping, focusing on methods to outreach to diverse groups in the autism community, in hopes to increase access and equity in autism research. She will also continue working on programs to help support social functioning in people on the autism spectrum.

Jacqueline Shinall, Psy.D.,M.S., is a postdoctoral fellow in clinical psychology working with Dr. Brodkin. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology at Rutgers University, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, and her Masters in Neuroscience from Columbia University’s Teachers College. Jacqueline’s clinical work and research has focused on the diagnostic and assessment measures and procedures for adults seeking an autism diagnosis. She is interested in understanding the experiences of individuals that receive an autism diagnosis as adolescents or adults and, in turn, she hopes to identify the most accurate assessments for autism in previously undiagnosed adults. Jacqueline is also hoping to continue helping autistic adults overcome mental health difficulties and to reduce stigma and misconceptions about autism in adulthood.

Samantha Steeman was a Clinical Research Coordinator on the ASPE Study. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in the Biological Basis of Behavior. While at Penn, she worked in the Brodkin Lab on the ASPE team, studying the heritability of autistic traits and ways to best describe the spectrum of social functioning. She also worked at CHOP Neonatology, where she studied the impacts of prematurity and respiratory interventions on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Ellie Tarlow, Ph.D., was a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Tom Jongens at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and subsequently obtained her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. For the past decade, Ellie has been studying the influence of metabolism and mitochondrial function on behavior and cognition in genetic models of ASD.

Sara Taylor was a Neuroscience graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience at William and Mary, where she studied how attention, social cognition, and implicit bias related to autistic behaviors. In the Brodkin Lab, she plans to study at the intersection of neuroscience and genetics by relating social behaviors to genetic pathways implicated in ASD.

Jing Zhang, MHS, was a PhD student in Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her Master of Health Science in Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2016. She works on human genetics projects about autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Jing is interested in genetic epidemiology research in ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.