Lab Members
Alexei Bygrave
Principal Investigator
Alexei received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of Bristol and PhD from the University of Oxford as part of a collaboration between the labs of David Bannerman (Oxford), Dimitri Kullmann (UCL), and Dennis Kätzel (Ulm). He then moved to the US to work in Rick Huganir's lab at Johns Hopkins. Alexei joined Tufts University in the Department of Neuroscience summer 2022.
When not science-ing, Alexei enjoys fishing, hiking, climbing (albeit badly), and cooking.
Olivia Friedman
Senior research technician
Olivia graduated from The College of Wooster in 2022 with a degree in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience. She joined the Tufts University School of Medicine in the Department of Neuroscience in summer 2022, and is very excited to be part of the Bygrave Lab. She enjoys dancing, hiking, camping, and pasta!
Leni Hartman
Undergraduate Student
Leni is an undergraduate at Tufts University majoring in Biopsychology. She is thrilled to be a part of the Bygrave lab! Leni loves the outdoors. In her free time, she runs, hikes, sails, and climbs.
Molly Brady
PhD Student
Molly graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2019 with a degree in Neuroscience before working in the lab of Dr. Rashid Deane at the University of Rochester for two years studying the kinetics of cerebrospinal fluid in Alzheimer’s disease. She joined Tufts Neuroscience Program in 2021, and is excited to be the first graduate student in the Bygrave lab! Outside the lab, Molly loves hiking, skiing, yoga, exploring New England, and baking assorted bread and desserts.
Shiyu (Matt) Zhang
Research Technician
Shiyu Zhang (Matt) is an MPH graduate student at Tufts University School of Medicine, specializing in Biostatistics & Epidemiology. Before joining the Bygrave lab and Tufts University, Matt completed a BA in Biology with a specialization in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, and Genetics, also earning a minor in Computer Science from Boston University in 2022. Outside the lab, Matt enjoys traveling, hiking, fishing, coffee brewing, and photography.
Pascal Schamber
PhD Student
Pascal graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Neuroscience in 2018 then worked in biotech studying AAV gene therapy for genetic forms of hearing loss. He joined the PhD program and our lab in 2023 and is excited to study how different interneuron subtypes participate in local brain circuits. He is a perpetual tinkerer and enjoys programming, exploring the outdoors, and traveling to warm places.
Sahana Darbhamulla
Undergraduate Student
Sahana is an undergraduate at Tufts University majoring in Biopsychology. She is very excited to be working in the Bygrave Lab! In her free time, Sahana enjoys playing tennis, crafting, and crossword puzzles.
Allison Blais
Post-Baccalaureate Research Program Student
Allison graduated from Skidmore College with a B.A. in Neuroscience in May 2024. Over the summers while they were an undergrad, they were an animal care technician and did metabolism research with Dr. Gianluca Tosini at Morehouse School of Medicine. In their senior year at Skidmore, they joined the Behavioral Neuroscience & Pharmacology Lab of Dr. Hassan Lopez where they completed a senior project about altruistic behavior in rats. They are very excited to expand their skills and conduct neuroscience research full-time in the Bygrave lab. Outside of the lab, Allison enjoys the outdoors, hiking, yoga, skiing, video games, and traveling.
Past lab members
- Madison Pelletier
You?
Get in contact if you are interested in joining our team!