Team
Tatsuya Tsukahara (PI)
Tatsuya grew up in Japan. He received his B.S. in Biology and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Biophysics and Biochemistry from the University of Tokyo. He was then recruited as a junior group leader in Dr. Hiroyuki Takeda’s laboratory at the University of Tokyo and led a research group for several years. During these years working on several biological systems whose goal is to faithfully execute the “blueprints”, his interests expanded to the highly adaptive system, the nervous system. After completing the Neurobiology course at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratories (MBL) in the summer of 2012, he joined Dr. Bob Datta’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School in the fall of 2014 and started neuroscience research. He started a laboratory at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute (LTRI) in September 2023 and is also an Assistant Professor at the Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. He loves running, basketball, hiking, and cooking outside of the lab.
Kirti Mittal, Ph.D.
Lab Manager
Kirti received her PhD from the University of Delhi and post-doctoral training at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
Derek Tea
Graduate Student
Derek is currently a MSc student in the Department of Molecular Genetics at UofT, where he is characterizing the role of vasopressin in the mouse olfactory system. His interests lie at the intersection of neuroscience and genetics, and he hopes to utilize research to understand how neuronal gene regulation impacts brain function and behaviour. Outside of the lab, he enjoys staying active, photography, and watching documentaries.
Jade Juba
Undergraduate Student
Jade is a fourth-year undergraduate student at UofT (SG) specializing in Molecular Genetics and minoring in Immunology. She is interested in how neuroplasticity is mediated by epigenetic, post-transcriptional, and post-translational regulation of neural genes. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and reading about American History.
Irene Charley
Undergraduate Student
Irene is a third-year BSc Biomedical Sciences student interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms in the nervous system. Her fourth-year thesis interests include studying how synaptic changes during development or through experience affect learning, memory, and behavior through neuron interactions in culture. For fun, Irene enjoys travelling and going for hikes.
Kaden Hill
Undergraduate Student
Kaden is a third-year student at UofT (UTM) specializing in neuroscience. He is interested in the intergenerational inheritance of neurological disorders, focusing on how epigenetic mechanisms influence transmission and expression of these disorders. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with family, running, and watching sports.
Sila Kaya
Undergraduate Student
Sila is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto (St. George), pursuing an Honours BSc in Biochemistry Specialist and Immunology Minor. She is interested in how neural function is shaped by translational and post-translational regulation of gene expression. Outside the lab, Sila enjoys playing the piano and volleyball, travelling, and watching documentaries.
| Name | Position | Year(s) | Moved on To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Santoso | Undergrad Student | Mar 2024 – Dec 2024 | Moved onto industry position |
| Tiffany Hui | Undergrad Student | Summer 2024 | UofT 4th year student |
| Zeke Weng | Undergrad Student | Summer 2024 | UofT 3rd year student |