Australasiancourse in advanced

NEUROSCIENCEACAN2023
Australasian Course indvancedPROGRAM

Neuroscience2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE

Table of Contents
Course Site Map & Commute ................................................................................................................2
Course Venue .......................................................................................................................................3
Program ...............................................................................................................................................4
Welcome | Sunday 25 June ................................................................................................................4
Week 1 | Fundamentals of Electrophysiology ...................................................................................... 5
Monday 26 June ............................................................................................................................5
Tuesday 27 June ..........................................................................................................................6
Wednesday 28 June .....................................................................................................................7
Thursday 29 June .........................................................................................................................8
Friday 30 June ..............................................................................................................................9
Saturday 1 July ........................................................................................................................... 10
Week 2 | Cortical Processing and Neuronal Networks ....................................................................... 11
Monday 3 July ............................................................................................................................ 11
Tuesday 4 July ............................................................................................................................ 12
Wednesday 5 July ....................................................................................................................... 13
Thursday 6 July ........................................................................................................................... 14
Friday 7 July ............................................................................................................................... 15
Saturday 8 July ........................................................................................................................... 16
Week 3 | Brain Systems and Behaviour ............................................................................................ 17
Monday 10 July .......................................................................................................................... 17
Tuesday 11 July .......................................................................................................................... 18
Wednesday 12 July ..................................................................................................................... 19
Thursday 13 July ......................................................................................................................... 20
Friday 14 July ............................................................................................................................. 21
Saturday 15 July ......................................................................................................................... 22
Course Faculty.................................................................................................................................... 23
Board of Directors | Coordinators | Lecturers .................................................................................... 23
Instructors .......................................................................................................................................24Students .............................................................................................................................................25
Student biosketches............................................................................................................................ 26
Sponsors and Institutional Support ...................................................................................................... 32
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2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCECOURSE SITE MAP & COMMUTE
University College
40 College Cres, Parkville
VIC 3052

Kenneth Myer Building
30 Royal Parade,
Parkville VIC 3052

Howard Florey Laboratories
11 Royal Parade, Parkville
VIC 3052

Graduate House→ 4 min →220 Leicester St,
Carlton VIC 3053
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2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE

Kenneth Myer Building(KMB, Ground level)

Social Area

Education room

G03

Entrance

Besides Harold
Woodruff Theatre

ACAN Lab
Through to 2-P (L7)*Toilets
Elevator

ElevatorThrough to:
Rig 5 - 2P (L7)

Through to:
Board Room (L1)
KMB building** (access through Medical Rd)

Wet Lab

Wet LabEphys rigs 1-6

Rig 1

Ex vivo slicer
Pippette puller

Rig 3
Rig 2

Imaging rigs

Surgery
Stereotaxic
frames 1-4

Behaviour
Operant
conditioning (Cg)chambers 1-4

Cg 1
Cg 2
Cg 3
Cg 4

Surgery**Lectures,computingandcalcium imaging experiments will
be conducted in the Kenneth
Myer Building (KMB).

Rig 5

Behaviour*Some imaging experiments will
be conducted in HFL level 7.

ACAN Lab (HFL Level 3)

Howard Florey Laboratories Building (HFL, Level 3)

ACAN FACILITIESFLOOR PLAN

Stx 1 Stx 2
FP1

Stx 3 Stx 4
FP2

Rig 4

(2-P)

2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE

Welcome | Sunday 25 JUNE
NOTE: Accommodation check-in (at the University College) will run from 12 to 17:30

EVENING SESSION

17:30 – 18:15

University College at the University of Melbourne

Welcome drinks | Course Introduction
Greg Stuart

ACAN Chair

Janet Keast

ANS President Course

Chris Reid

Director

Karl Iremonger

Co-director (Week 1)

Lucy Palmer

Co-director (Week 2)

Jay Bertran-Gonzalez Co-director (Week 3)

18:30 –OPENING EVENT (Naughtons Parkville Hotel)
Students and Faculty

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WEEK 1 | FUNDAMENTALS OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGYThe Excitable Cell and Synaptic Transmission

Monday 26 JUNE
07:00 – 07:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

08:00 – 09:00

Health & Safety Induction and Intro to Week Theme
Fran Tait and Karl Iremonger | University of Otago (NZ)

09:00 – 10:15

The Golden Rules of Electrophysiology
John Bekkers | The Eccles Institute of Neuroscience (ACT)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

10:45 – 12:00

Practical Aspects of Patch Clamp Recordings
Lee Fletcher | Queensland Brain Institute (QLD)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

13:00 – 18:00

Introduction to Rigs + Setup | All students
Brain slice preparation | Yossi Buskila | rotations
Ephys electronics | Ian Forster | rotations

18:00 – 19:00

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET SESSION

University College at the University of Melbourne

19:00 – Late.

Student Project Presentations & Discussion | 12 talks, 3 min

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WEEK 1 | FUNDAMENTALS OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGYThe Excitable Cell and Synaptic Transmission

Tuesday 27 JUNE

07:00 – 08:00

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 10:15

Voltage Gated Ion Channels & Excitability
Bill Connelly | University of Tasmania (TAS)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

10:45 – 12:00

The Electrical Structure of Neurons
Greg Stuart | Monash University (VIC)

12:00 – 13:00
AFTERNOON PRAC
13:00 – 18:00

Lunch (Graduate House)
ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3
Basics of patch clamping | All students
Brain slice preparation | Yossi Buskila | rotations
Ephys electronics | Ian Forster | rotations

18:00 – 19:00

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

19:00 – Late.

Back to the Lab! | All students encouraged

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WEEK 1 | FUNDAMENTALS OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGYThe Excitable Cell and Synaptic Transmission

Wednesday 28 JUNE
07:00 – 08:00

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 10:15

Introduction to Physiology of the Synapse
Karl Iremonger | University of Otago (NZ)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

10:45 – 12:00

Mechanisms and Dynamics of Neurotransmitter Release
Sarah Gordon | The Florey Institute of Neuroscience (VIC)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

13:00 – 18:00

Rig time | All students

18:00 – 19:00

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

19:00 – Late.

Back to the Lab! | All students encouraged

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WEEK 1 | FUNDAMENTALS OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGYThe Excitable Cell and Synaptic Transmission

Thursday 29 JUNE
07:00 – 08:00

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 10:15

Dendritic Integration
Stephen Williams | Queensland Brain Institute (QLD)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

10:45 – 12:00

In Vivo Patch Clamp
Saba Gharaei | The Eccles Institute of Neuroscience (ACT)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

13:00 – 18:00

Rig time | All students
In Vivo Patch | Saba Gharaei | rotations

18:00 – 19:00

Dinner (University College)

EVENING SESSION

University College at the University of Melbourne

19:30 – 20:30

Hot Topic How does the brain really work?
Matthew Larkum | Humboldt University of Berlin (GER)

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WEEK 1 | FUNDAMENTALS OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGYThe Excitable Cell and Synaptic Transmission

Friday 30 JUNE
07:00 – 08:00

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 10:15

Neural Coding and Information Theory
Ehsan Arabzadeh | The Eccles Institute of Neuroscience (ACT)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

10:45 – 12:00

Long Term Synaptic Plasticity
Cliff Abraham | University of Otago (NZ)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

13:00 – 18:00

Rig time | All students
In Vivo Patch | Saba Gharaei | rotations

18:00 – 19:00

Dinner (University College)

EVENING PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

19:00 – Late.

Back to the Lab! / FREE NIGHT! | All students encouraged

Page | 9

WEEK 1 | FUNDAMENTALS OF ELECTROPHYSIOLOGYThe Excitable Cell and Synaptic Transmission

Saturday 1 JULY
07:00 – 08:00

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 10:15

Electrophysiology Data Analysis
Cherry Mao | Ian Forster | Ben Lau

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3 | HFL Meeting

10:00 – 13:00

Room Data Analysis | All students

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3 | HFL Meeting

14:00 – 17:00

Room Data Presentations | All students
Week 1 debrief | All students

17:30 – 19:00

Dinner (University College)

EVENING SESSION

The City of Melbourne

19:00 – Late.

FREE NIGHT

Sunday 2 JULYFREE DAY ACTIVITY
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WEEK 2 | CORTICAL PROCESSING AND NEURONALNETWORKS
Monday 3 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 09:10

Intro to Theme and Student Groups
Lucy Palmer | The Florey Institute of Neuroscience (VIC)

09:10 – 10:15

Fundamentals of Optics & Microscopy
Tim Karle | The Florey Institute (VIC)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSION
10:45 – 12:00

Advances in Optogenetics and Chemogenetics
Andrew Allen | University of Melbourne (VIC)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 7 | KMB Level 3

13:00 – 18:00

In Vitro Opto- and Chemogenetics | All Groups
Analysis of Ion Channels in Expression Systems | rotations
Ian Forster | Ming Soh | Geza Berecki

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

EVENING PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

19:30 – Late.

Back to the Lab!

Page | 11

WEEK 2 | CORTICAL PROCESSING AND NEURONALNETWORKS
Tuesday 4 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 10:15

Calcium Indicators
John Power | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSION
10:45 – 12:00

Two-Photon Imaging
Tatsuo Sato | Monash University (VIC)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

13:00 – 18:00
In Vitro Calcium Imaging | All Groups
Analysis of Ion Channels in Expression Systems | rotations
Ian Forster | Ming Soh | Geza Berecki

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

EVENING PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

19:30 – Late.

Back to the Lab!

Page | 12

WEEK 2 | CORTICAL PROCESSING AND NEURONALNETWORKS
Wednesday 5 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 10:15

Widefield calcium imaging
Jack Waters | Allen Institute of Brain Science (USA)10:45 – 12:00

Calcium Imaging - Zebrafish
Ethan Scott | University of Melbourne (VIC)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 7 | KMB Level 3

13:00 – 16:00

2P Calcium Imaging - Fish | Groups 1-2
2P Calcium Imaging - Mouse | Groups 3-4

EVENING PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 7 | KMB Level 3

16:00 – 18:15

2P Calcium Imaging - Fish | Group 3-4
2P Calcium Imaging - Mouse | Groups 1-2

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET SESSION

University College at the University of Melbourne

19:30 – 20:30

Tutorial Analyse your imaging Data | All Groups

Page | 13

WEEK 2 | CORTICAL PROCESSING AND NEURONALNETWORKS
Thursday 6 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

09:00 – 10:15

Fluorescence Imaging in Disease
Matilde Balbi | Queensland Brain Institute (QLD)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSION
10:45 – 12:00

Advanced Imaging Techniques
Fred Meunier | Queensland Brain Institute (QLD)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 7 | KMB Level 3

13:00 – 16:00

Single Molecule Tracking Workshop | All Groups

EVENING PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 7 | KMB Level 3

16:00 – 18:15

Widefield Imaging Demo | All Groups

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET SESSION

University College at the University of Melbourne

19:00 – 20:00

Special Lecture Axons and Excitability
Maarten Kole | University of Utrecht (Netherlands)

20:00 – Late.

Post Lecture Discussion

Page | 14

WEEK 2 | CORTICAL PROCESSING AND NEURONALNETWORKS
Friday 7 JULYMORNING SESSION

HFL Lecture Theatre

08:00 – 12:00

Neural Imaging with Miniaturized Microscopes in Freely
Behaving Animals
Daniel Aharoni | University of California Los Angeles (USA)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

13:00 – 18:00

Miniscope design, build and use | All Groups

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3

19:30 – Late.

Miniscope data analysis

Page | 15

WEEK 2 | CORTICAL PROCESSING AND NEURONALNETWORKS
Saturday 8 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

MORNING SESSION

HFL Meeting Room | Social Area

09:00 – 12:00

Data Analysis and Preparation of Presentations
All students

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

HFL Meeting Room

13:00 – 15:30

Student Presentations | Groups 1 & 2

EVENING PRAC

HFL Meeting Room

15:30 – 18:00

Student Presentations | Groups 3 & 4

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

EVENING SESSION

The City of Melbourne

19:30 – Late.

FREE NIGHT

Sunday 9 JULYFREE DAY ACTIVITY

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WEEK 3 | BRAIN SYSTEMS & BEHAVIOUR

Monday 10 JULY
07:30 – 08:15

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSIONKMB Education Room

08:30 – 09:00

Intro to Week ThemeJay Bertran-Gonzalez | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

09:00 – 10:15

The Molecular Structure of Learning and Memory
Victor Anggono | Queensland Brain Institute (QLD)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSIONKMB Education Room

10:45 – 12:00

Interrogating Neural Systems Function with Behaviour
Karly Turner | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRACKMB Education Room | Computing Lab | ACAN Lab

13:00 – 18:00

Designing our Behavioural Experiment | Group rotations
Jay Bertran-Gonzalez | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

Controlling a Conditioning Rig | Group rotations
Beatrice Leung | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

Meet Your Mouse & Training Day 1 | Group rotations
Chelsea Goulton | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET SESSION

University College at the University of Melbourne

19:30 – 20:30

Special Lecture Why and When is Dopamine Valuable?
Melissa Sharpe | UCLA (USA)

20:30 – Late.

Post Lecture Discussion
Page | 17

WEEK 3 | BRAIN SYSTEMS & BEHAVIOUR

Tuesday 11 JULY
07:30 – 07:55

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSIONKMB Education Room

09:00 – 10:15

Evolution & Development of the Cerebral Cortex
Rodrigo Suárez | University of Queensland (QLD)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSIONKMB Education Room

10:45 – 12:00

Studies of Neurogenesis and Neural Circuit Formation
Laura Fenlon | University of Queensland (QLD)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3 | HFL Computing Room Training

13:00 – 18:00

Day 2 | All Groups
Prac 3_1 | In Utero Electroporation | Group 1
Prac 3_2 | Advanced Behaviour Analysis | Group 2
Prac 3_3 | In Vivo Fibre Photometry | Group 3

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET SESSION

University College at the University of Melbourne

19:30 – 20:30

Special Lecture Slow Neurotransmission & Flexible Behaviour
Miriam Matamales | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

20:30 – Late.

Post Lecture Discussion

Page | 18

WEEK 3 | BRAIN SYSTEMS & BEHAVIOUR

Wednesday 12 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSIONKMB Education Room

09:00 – 10:15

Studying Neural Systems in vivo
Lizzie Manning | University of Newcastle (NSW)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSIONKMB Education Room

10:45 – 12:00

Capturing Learning through Fibre Photometry
Philip Jean-Richard Dit Bressel | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3 | HFL Computing Room

13:00 – 18:00

Training Day 3 | All Groups
Prac 3_1 | In Utero Electroporation | Group 2
Prac 3_2 | Advanced Behaviour Analysis | Group 3
Prac 3_3 | In Vivo Fibre Photometry | Group 1

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET SESSION

University College at the University of Melbourne

19:30 – 20:30

Special Lecture Are we Wrong About Learning?
Gavan McNally | UNSW Sydney (NSW)

20:30 – Late.

Post Lecture Discussion

Page | 19

WEEK 3 | BRAIN SYSTEMS & BEHAVIOUR

Thursday 13 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSIONKMB Education Room

09:00 – 10:15

Acetylcholine Systems in the Striatum
Nathalie Dehorter | The Eccles Institute of Neuroscience (ACT)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSIONKMB Education Room

10:45 – 12:00

Muscarinic Control of Neural Function
Leigh Walker | The Florey Institute of Neuroscience (VIC)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB - HFL Level 3 | HFL Computing Room

13:00 – 18:00

Training Day 4 | All Groups
Prac 3_1 | In Utero Electroporation | Group 3
Prac 3_2 | Advanced Behaviour Analysis | Group 1
Prac 3_3 | In Vivo Fibre Photometry | Group 2

18:30 – 19:30

Dinner (University College)

SUNSET SESSION

University College at the University of Melbourne

19:30 – 20:30

Special Lecture Optical Approaches to Deconstructing Circuits

Controlling Motivation and Stress
Chris Dayas | University of Newcastle (NSW)

20:30 – Late.

Post Lecture Discussion
Page | 20

WEEK 3 | BRAIN SYSTEMS & BEHAVIOUR

Friday 14 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College)

SUNRISE SESSIONKMB Education Room

09:00 – 10:15

Subcortical Systems and Disease
Robyn Brown | The Florey Institute of Neuroscience (VIC)

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee BreakMORNING SESSIONKMB Education Room

10:45 – 12:00

Synaptic Genes & Cognition
Jess Nithianantharajah | Florey Institute of Neuroscience (VIC)

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House)

AFTERNOON PRAC

ACAN LAB & HFL Social Area in Level 3

13:00 – 18:00

Learning Encoding Test 1 | All Groups
Data Analysis and Preparation of Presentations | All Groups

19:30 – Late.

END OF COURSE DINNER

Page | 21

WEEK 3 | BRAIN SYSTEMS & BEHAVIOUR

Saturday 15 JULY
07:30 – 08:45

Breakfast (University College) and Check-out

MORNING PRAC

ACAN LAB – HFL Level 3

09:00 – 12:00

Learning Encoding Test 2 | All Groups

MORNING SESSION

HFL Social Area – HFL L3

09:00 – 12:00

Data Presentations | All students Conditioning
Experiment Results | All students

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch (Graduate House) and Safe Return Home

Page | 22

2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCECOURSE FACULTY
BOARD OF DIRECTORSJohn Bekkers (ANU)

Lucy Palmer (Florey)

John Power (UNSW)Jay Bertran-Gonzalez (UNSW)

Karly Turner (UNSW)

Karl Iremonger (Otago)

Laura Fenlon (QBI)

Christopher Reid (Florey)

Lee Fletcher (QBI)

Elena Bagley (USyD)

Leigh Walker (Florey)
Lizzie Manning (UoN)

COORDINATORS

Matilde Balbi (QBI)

Alex Tang (UWA)

Matthew Larkum (Humboldt U)

Chelsea Goulton (UNSW)Melissa Sharpe (UCLA)

Luca Godenzini (Florey)

Miriam Matamales (UNSW)

Sean Murphy (Florey)

Nathalie Dehorter (QBI)

Stuart McDougall (Florey)

Philip Jean-Richard Dit Bressel (UNSW)
Robyn Brown (UniMelb)LECTURERS

Rodrigo Suarez (QBI)

Andrew Allen (UniMelb)

Saba Gharaei (ANU)

Bill Connelly (UTAS)Sarah Gordon (Florey)

Chris Dayas (UoN)

Stephen Williams (QBI)

Cliff Abraham (Otago)

Tatsuo Sato (Monash)

Daniel Aharoni (UCLA)Tim Karle (Florey)

Ehsan Arabzadeh (ANU)

Victor Anggono (QBI)

Ethan Scott (UniMelb)
Fred Meunier (QBI)
Gavan McNally (UNSW)
Greg Stuart (Monash)
Jack Waters (Allen Brain)
Jess Nithianantharajah (Florey)
Page | 23

2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCECOURSE FACULTYLABORATORY INSTRUCTORSAlex Tang (UWA)
Ann-Sofie Bjerre (Florey)
Beatrice Leung (UNSW)
Ben Lau (UNSW)
Chelsea Goulton (UNSW)
Cherry Mao (Florey)
Christopher Nolan (UNSW)
Dechuan Sun (Florey)
George Stuyt (Florey)
Geza Berecki (Florey)
Heidi McAlpine (Florey)
Ian Forster (Florey)
Luca Godezini (Florey)
Marious Rosier (Florey)
Melody Li (Florey)
Ming Shiuan Soh (Florey)
Mona Amiri (Florey)
Rachel Gormal (QBI)
Roberta Goncalves Anversa (Florey)
Tom Burton (UNSW)
Tristan Wallis (Florey)
Yi Hu (Florey)
Yossi Buskila (UWS)

Page | 24

2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCESTUDENTSAMRUTHA Leena
BEROS Jamie
BLACK Dylan
CHEN MoJACOBS JonoLUI Si Yin
McKENZIE Chaseley
MILLS Zoe
NELSON ConorO'SHEA Mia
PEARSON Lily
ZHANG Muqin

Page | 25

2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCESTUDENT BIOSKETCHES

Leena AMRUTHA
My name is Leena Amrutha, and I am a second year PhD student under
the supervision of Dr Ehsan Kheradpezhouh and Prof Ehsan Arabzadeh atthe Eccles Institution of Neuroscience at ANU. I work in the neural coding
lab where we address fundamental questions in the field of systems
neuroscience by quantifying brain activity underlying sensory coding andbehaviour. My project is focused on the cellular mechanisms in which TRP
channels are involved in sensory processing in the cortex. I started off inthis lab as an undergraduate student characterising the co-localisation ofthese channels, using immunohistochemistry and confocal imaging. I thencontinued this project into my honours year. During this time, I utilised invitro electrophysiology to examine the interactions between TRP channels
in the CNS. As a PhD student I have expanded the project in vivo to understand the role of these channels
in sensory processing. I am currently investigating whether TRP channels synergistically modulate encodingof sensory information by employing behavioural studies, while measuring neuronal activity through calcium
imaging.

Jamie BEROS
Dr Jamie Beros is an early career researcher at the University of Western
Australia and the Perron Institute. He was awarded his PhD in 2020 withhis work focusing on the mechanisms underlying development of the visualsystem during the early postnatal period. Dr Beros currently works in the
Brain Plasticity Lab under the supervision of Associate Professor Jennifer
Rodger. His research interests are associated with understanding thedevelopmental mechanisms that shape the brain for adolescent and adultlife, and investigating ways of inducing beneficial changes in the brain to
improve function. Specifically, investigating the use of non-invasive brain
stimulation, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), in
the developing brain. During his PhD, Dr Beros was awarded a Nicolas
Baudin scholarship to undertake an internship at Neurocentre Magendie (Bordeaux, France) to investigate
the contribution of adult neurogenesis to the acquisition of fear memories. Since his return to WA, he hashelped establish an optogenetic and multiphoton platform at UWA and the Perron Institute and has secured
funding to further research rTMS and childhood development utilising these tools.

Page | 26

2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE

Dylan BLACK
Dr Dylan A. Black (PhD 2022, The University of Sydney) is an early-career
researcher based at the School of Biomedical Sciences and Queensland
Brain Institute at The University of Queensland. His dissertation research
focused on the developmental roles of highly conserved axonal guidance
molecules, with an emphasis on better understanding their behavioural
relevance by applying machine learning methods for animal positional
tracking (Young et al. 2023, Dev Neuro). His work to date has also usedenvironmental-enrichment paradigms to examine how guidance
molecule-dependent changes in retinofugal brain wiring are influenced by
the early postnatal environment (Blok and Black et al. 2020, Frontiers in
Behavioural Neuroscience). Other research directions have included
adapting behavioural assays to study the therapeutic potential of novel opsins for vision restoration in
inherited retinal dystrophies (Too et al. 2022, Scientific Reports). Dylan has experience in histologicalanalysis, microscopy, optogenetics, animal surgeries, in-pouch electroporation, in vivo 2-photon and widefield imaging, and various behavioural analytic paradigms. He enjoys scientific computing and is proficientin Python and R programming, and associated machine learning frameworks. Dylan is now a member ofthe Brain Evo-Devo laboratory led by Dr Rodrigo Suárez and Dr Laura Fenlon, where he is researching theorigin and developmental role of spontaneous electrical activity in the embryonic marsupial isocortex of thefat-tailed dunnart.

Mo CHENMo Chen is Research Australia Discovery Awardee (2020-2021) and has
a PhD in neuroscience about spinal cord injury repair, with seven years ofexperience and expertise in cell biology and medical bioengineering. This
includes developing cell transplantation products to treat spinal cord injury
and analyzing various 3D culture systems, such as low attachment 3D
culture, mammalian cell culture with bioreactors, and hydrogel-based 3D
culture. He has published 11 journal papers (10 Q1 and 1 Q2) in the last
three years, with 189 citations. The most significant of these papers
focused on the therapeutic properties of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells(OECs) in the spinal cord injury site and the 3D culture technique. Chen's
groundbreaking brain organoids technology, with two patents (Provisional
patent number 2017904456 and 2017904064) for the root technology, and new patent applications are
currently being prepared for the updated version. His contributions to 3D cell culture are that he has broken
through the limitations of traditional 3D cell production concepts and he is the first to apply cell selforganisation theory to pre-clinical research. In 2023, he was awarded a Griffith University Postdoctoral
Fellowship (2023-2025) and he is CIA on an MRFF ECR/MCR project (2023-2026, $762k from MRFF,$762k from partners, total project value $1.52 million).

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2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE

Jono JACOBS
I am Jono Jacobs (BE (Mechanical); GradDip (Psychology); BPysSc(Hons I)), a former mechanical engineer from Perth. I moved to Sydney in2015 to study Bachelor of Science – Advanced Mathematics program at
The University of Sydney. Mid-way through my degree I moved intobusiness and financial analytics, where I spent 5 years mentoring afinance team, as well as implementing a number of financial models andanalytical processes that helped grow business EBITDA by ~350% overmy tenure ($32m in 2016; $108m in 2021). During the later years of myemployment, I developed a deep interest in psychology andneuroscience, leading me to a career change through a PhD in the
Neuromodulatory Systems and Behaviour Group, UNSW Psychology. The aim of my research is to reveal
characteristic spatio-temporal molecular activation motifs in the striatum that represent the encoding ofpure instrumental learning signatures and predict future behavioural adaption. To investigate this problem,
I am developing a new machine-learning image analysis pipeline for processing large volumes of neuraldata collected in animals as they learn instrumental behaviours (in the order of 105 neurons), resulting in
extremely high spatial resolution. Furthermore, I am enriching these data by utilizing a unique aspect of thesensor’s dynamics to extract additional pseudo-temporal dimensionality after image acquisition. This
analysis may enable the transformation of static images into dynamic activation flows, providing the firstcomplete spatio-temporal characterization of goal-directed learning signatures in the striatum. Outside of
the professional environment, you will find me road cycling, running, or cooking (mostly) palatable food.

Si Yin LUII am a 3rd year PhD student at UNSW Sydney. I completed undergraduate
studies and a master’s degree at University of Auckland. My current
project focuses on the ventral striatopallidal system in appetitive
behaviour. This project uses electrophysiology (whole-cell patch-clamp inacute rat brain slices), behavioural protocol and optogenetics.
Electrophysiology is used to explore the characteristics of the circuitry
involving the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum. Specifically, thisincludes investigating synaptic plasticity changes, neurotransmitter
release, cell’s electrophysiological parameters and pharmacologicalintervention. I would like to have a better grasp of the fundamentals ofelectrophysiology, learn new types of recordings and methods of analysis.
I perform stereotaxic surgery to inject viral vector (for channelrhodpsin-2 expression) and retrograde
tracers (CTB or mCherry) before the animals undergo an alcohol selfadministration protocol (I call it the“happy hour experiment”!) and electrophysiology experiments. My PhD supervisors are Gavan McNally
and John Power. In my master’s project, I investigated local microcircuitry in the subthalamic nucleus ofmice using whole-cell patch-clamp in acute brain slices and optogenetics. This involved processing large
amounts of electrophysiological data collected with point photostimulation – this gave the data an additional
dimension of spatial information at subcellular resolution. My master’s supervisor was Peter Freestone. My
other research experience from previous summer research projects includes electrochemistry in acute rat
brain slices, assisting in human transcranial magnetic stimulation and post-stroke motor tests in rats.
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2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE

Chaseley McKENZIE
I’m currently a second year PhD student at the Florey Institute of
Neuroscience and Mental Health, studying under Professor Christopher
Reid in the Neurophysiology of Excitable Networks Laboratory. I
completed an Honours year with the Reid lab in 2019 with a projectfocusing on understanding the disease mechanisms of an HCN1
developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. I then stayed as a Research
Assistant to continue to develop and learn new skills and understanding inneurophysiology techniques. My PhD research focuses on diseasemechanisms and precision treatments for HCN1 developmental epileptic
encephalopathies (DEEs). I have established a common “cation-leak”
mechanism underlying disease in the majority of HCN1 DEE cases using two-electrode voltage-clamp
techniques in Xenopus oocytes. I have also identified small molecule drugs that can rescue the cation leakbiophysical consequences in several HCN1 pathogenic variants and demonstrated that the drugs reduce
excitability in the Hcn1 M294L mouse model of HCN1 DEE. My project now involves completing single-cellelectrophysiology in mouse brain slices to determine if the drugs can also rescue cellular phenotypes, andI aspire to use imaging techniques such as the miniscope to understand neuronal network scale deficits inthe mouse. I am thrilled to be able to continue to learn these techniques and others at ACAN 2023.

Zoe MILLS
Hi, I'm Zoe Mills! After attaining my undergraduate degree studying
Neuroscience and Genetics at the University of Otago, I am now a second
year Ph.D. student in the Montgomery lab group at Auckland University. I
am deeply fascinated by the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and thecomplexities of neurotransmission. My current research focuses onneuronal dysfunction in patients with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, amonogenic form of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Using induced pluripotent
stem cells, I hope to identify electrophysiological phenotypes of humanneurons expressing ASD- associated mutation in the SHANK3 region andassess the therapeutic effect of zinc treatment in rescuing these deficits. I
am thrilled about the prospects of ACAN and the opportunity to learn techniques which are so fundamental
to my research with other like-minded neuroscientists.

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2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE

Conor NELSON
I am Conor Nelson, a PhD student in the University of Auckland's
Molecular Neurotherapeutics lab, supervised by Associate Professor
Deborah Young and Dr Angela Wu. Our lab specialises in the use of
adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors for gene therapies and as researchtools. My research interests lie in the realm of novel therapeutics, and I
have previously structured my learning around genetics, pharmacology,
and neuroscience. This led me to complete my honours project in
Associate Professor Deborah Young's lab, working on a novel regulatory
system for gene therapies. I have since started my PhD in the same group,working to validate a novel antibody-based therapy targeting the GluN1
subunit of NMDA receptors that has cognition-enhancing and neuroprotective properties. My PhD thesis
investigates the utility of this novel GluN1 antibody as a therapeutic agent for Huntington's disease (HD). I
am testing two therapeutic approaches; 1) determining whether passive systemic transfer of recombinant
GluN1 (recGluN1) antibodies can reverse motor dysfunction and neuropathology in the YAC128 transgenic
mouse model of HD; 2) whether an AAV-based genetic vaccine can be used to elicit the production of
recGluN1 antibodies that are also protective in this mouse model. I have received financial support fromthe Auckland Medical Research Foundation and the HOPE Foundation for Research in Aging. A major
benefit of this has been the opportunity to speak about my work at charity events organised by thesefoundations, which has sparked an interest in science communication. This interest has led to my
involvement in the HealtheX research conference, of which I am a current co-chair.

Mia O’SHEA
Mia O’Shea, Bsc (Hons), is a second year PhD candidate in the
Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology at the University of
Melbourne under the supervision of Dr Robyn Brown, Head of the
Behavioural Neuropharmacology Laboratory. The research group
investigates the neural mechanisms underlying pathological forms of
motivated behaviour such as compulsive overeating and drug addiction.
Mia’s thesis is specifically focused on identifying the neural pathways
involved in stress-induced binge eating, with the aim of understanding why
emotional and stress-related eating appears to be sex-specific. This
project utilises a mouse model of stress-induced binge eating establishedin Robyn Brown’s laboratory, that pairs a mild frustrative stressor withintermittent access to a food reward to induce episodes of “binge-like” eating in mice. Currently, Mia isusing a transgenic mouse line to investigate corticotrophin-releasing hormone as a candidate factor
influencing the sex-differences apparent in this model. She is also conducting an ongoing investigation,
which comprises both clinical and preclinical aspects, into the influence of gonadal hormones (e.g.,
testosterone, estrogen) on driving dimorphism in stress and dysregulated eating. Moving forward, Mia
hopes to employ a range of different techniques, including those she will learn at ACAN, to delve deeper
into the neurobiology underpinning sex-differences in stress-induced eating.

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2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCE

Lily PEARSON
My name is Lily Pearson, and I am a 3rd year PhD candidate at theTranslational Neuroscience Facility, School of Biomedical Sciences,
UNSW Sydney. I undertook my undergraduate studies at ANU, where I
studied Medical Science. My curiosity for further scientific exploration was
sparked by how many questions in neuroscience and genetics remainunanswered, but also how people can develop technologies that provide
the perspective required to dive deeper. I started my PhD to learn how tocreate problem-solving ideas from cutting-edge perspectives andtechniques. My current project investigates the expression distribution
and genetic signature of subpopulations of primary auditory neurons in the
inner ear in transgenic reporter mice. I have maintained these lines overthe past few years to breed a homozygous line that shows distinct neuronal expression patterns. I havedeveloped protocols using confocal and light sheet microscopy to visualise the entire population of theseneurons throughout the auditory and vestibular ganglion and discriminate them against subtypes markers.
I particularly enjoy testing new antibody combinations to refine the auditory and vestibular neuron
populations in the inner ear. I am currently working to genetically characterise this population throughgenetic and transcriptomic techniques including multi-step PCRs, nanopore sequencing and scRNAseq.
The next phase of my project involves functionally characterising the population of neurons, I hope to refine
my skills in more functional physiological techniques during ACAN.

Muquin ZHANG
My name is Muqin Zhang, and I am a second-year PhD candidate fromJohn Bekkers’s lab at the Eccles Institute of Neuroscience at ANU. I
completed my Master Research under the supervision of Prof. John
Bekkers, studying the mechanisms of variable firing of Neurogliaform cells
in the piriform cortex. My current PhD project is in two parts. In the firstpart, I am using in vitro patch clamp recordings to map out patterns ofsynaptic connectivity between identified subtypes of GABAergic neurons
in the piriform cortex of mice, with the aim of identifying the canonicalinhibitory circuits in this cortex. The second part of my PhD project isequally fascinating, as it focuses on studying the role of synaptic inhibitionin hyperexcitability in the piriform cortex using a novel transgenic mousemodel of epilepsy known as the Hcn1 M294L mouse. To achieve this, I will use a combination of in vivo andin vitro electrophysiology and imaging techniques to gain a better understanding of how the circuit of thebrain works and how it is impacted by epilepsy. I am excited about the program and eager to learn about
the techniques that will be taught.

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2023 | AUSTRALASIAN COURSE IN ADVANCED NEUROSCIENCESPONSORSINSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

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