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PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR - PI
Daniel Pak, PhD
Daniel Pak, PhD
Professor of Pharmacology & Physiology - Georgetown University Medical Center
Daniel Pak is a Professor of Pharmacology & Physiology at Georgetown University Medical Center. He received his B.A. in Biochemistry from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and the MIT Picower Center for Learning and Memory.
Dr. Pak’s research seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms that allow synapses to adapt in response to experience and how disruption of these processes contributes to cognitive dysfunction and neurodegenerative disease. His work spans synaptic plasticity and memory, homeostatic regulation of neuronal activity, glutamate receptor trafficking, dendritic spine dynamics, and mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease. By integrating molecular, cellular, imaging, and systems-level approaches, his laboratory aims to bridge fundamental mechanisms of synapse biology with the processes that maintain cognitive function throughout life.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Nicole Marie Alvarez
Nicole Marie Alvarez
PhD Candidate - Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience
Nicole Alvarez is a PhD student in Georgetown University’s Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience. She received her B.A. in Biology and Neuroscience from Williams College, where her research focused on the neural mechanisms underlying sickness behaviors in Drosophila. Her undergraduate research was supported by the Allison Davis Research Fellowship and the Frederick Eugene Stratton Fellowship in Biology.
In the Pak Lab, Nicole investigates the role of synaptic CREB in activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and memory. More broadly, she is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate synaptic function and how their disruption contributes to neurodegeneration.
Outside the lab, Nicole enjoys music, video games, and reading and writing about science for broader audiences.
Lewis Paul Edwards
Lewis Paul Edwards
PhD Student - Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience
Paul Edwards is a PhD student in Georgetown University’s Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience. He received his B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.S. in Integrative Neuroscience from Georgetown University. His previous research investigated the neural mechanisms underlying addiction following abstinence in rodent models and neuroinflammatory processes in a model of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). He has also worked in neuroscience clinical research in both academic and industry settings.
In the Pak Lab, with co-mentorship from Dr. Bill Rebeck, Paul's work focuses on investigating the mechanistic link between neuronal hyperactivity and tau propagation and determining how APOE genotype modulates this relationship. His broader research interests include neurodegeneration, neuropharmacology, and the translation of fundamental neuroscience discoveries into novel therapeutic strategies.
Outside the lab, Paul enjoys music and singing, trying new foods, traveling with his partner, and reading/watching anything science fiction or fantasy.
STUDENT RESEARCHERS
Ishaan Sharma
Ishaan Sharma
Undergraduate Research Student
Ishaan Sharma is an undergraduate student at Georgetown University. His previous research experience includes working with Drosophila during high school and investigating excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the Pak Lab.
In the Pak Lab, Ishaan currently studies CREB trafficking using live-cell imaging approaches. More broadly, he is interested in the neuroscience of learning and memory and how these processes change during aging.
Outside the lab, Ishaan enjoys playing tennis and running.
Shanzay Rana
Shanzay Rana
Research Student
Shanzay Rana is a summer research student in the Pak Lab, where she is contributing to ongoing work investigating CREB phosphorylation and synaptic signaling. She is broadly interested in molecular neurobiology, particularly the cellular pathways that contribute to neurodegenerative disease.
Outside the lab, Shanzay enjoys reading, writing, and playing basketball.
ALUMNI
FORMER PhD STUDENTS:
Lara Stefansson, PhD
Selena Garcia DuBar, PhD - [Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Virginia]
Amanda Schneeweis, PhD - [Project Manager at Global Parkinson's Genetic Program]
Mai Abdel-Ghani, PhD - [Assay Development Scientist at Meso Scale Diagnostics]
Adam Caccavano, PhD - [Postdoctoral Fellow at Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development]
Thien Nguyen, PhD - [Senior Associate of Xontogeny, a Life Sciences Venture Studio]
Ji Soo Lee, PhD - [Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism]
Bridget Queenan, PhD - [Executive Director of Research at NSF-Simons Center at Harvard University]
Yeunkum Lee, PhD - [Research Professor at Korea University]
Danielle Evers, PhD - [Former deputy assistant to the President of the United States for the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot Initiative and the Deputy Director for health outcomes in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy]
FORMER POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS:
Amanda Schneeweis, PhD - [Project Manager at Global Parkinson's Genetic Program]
Sarra Djemil, PhD - [Director/Program Lead at Persephoni Bio]
Roopali Yadav, PhD - [Scientist at Champions Oncology]
Emily Andre, PhD - [Associate Director of Neurology Regulatory Affairs at MCRA, an IQVIA Business]
Jisoo Lee, PhD - [Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism]
Aaron Rozeboom, PhD - [Scientific Manager of the Molecular and Digital Pathology Laboratory at Leidos Biomedical Research]
Kea Joo Lee, PhD - [Principal Research Scientist at Korea Brain Research Institute]
Hyang Sook Hoe, PhD - [Research Professor at Korea Brain Research Institute]
Sookyung Suh, PhD - [Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine]
FORMER MASTER'S STUDENTS:
Devin Zarkowsky, MS
Dermot Maher, MS
Scott Herrick, MS
Noriko Udagawa, MS
Josefina Tek-Shan Lam, MS
Mercedes Vargas, MS
Weonpo Yarl, MS
Sophia Huynh, MS
Daphne Fernandes, MS
Christina Farnham, MS
Wendi Jia, MS
Gurpreet Aulakh, MS
Yang Feng, MS
Nuo Jia, MS
Tasnin Kahn, MS
Yara Khatib, MS
Dana Hackel, MS
Megan Beaver, MS
Kirk Chiu, MS
Andrew Kopf, MS
Ruqaya Murtadha, MS
Camille Huynh, MS
Daeun Kim, MS
Marielena Moran, MS
Lyna Ait Akli, MS
Elise Lin, MS
Khoa Vo, MS
William Chesner, MS
Giorgi Shautidze, MS
Osmany Diez, MS
Julian Olivarez, MS
FORMER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:
Leslie Bilello, Neurobiology
Ryan Bellmore, Human Science
Kelsey Cobourn, Neurobiology
Ray Dunn, Neurobiology
Aakash Shah, Neurobiology
Jessica Kloppenburg, Neurobiology
Clare Mallahan, Biology
Jasmine Leewong, Neurobiology
John Gribbin, Neurobiology
William Zhu, Neurobiology
Emily Fraser, Neurobiology
Kelly Mandella, Neurobiology
Charles Palka, Neurobiology
Claire Ressel, Biology
Caroline Ericsson, Biology
Antonia Sames, Neurobiology
Maya Nagarkatte, History and Public Health
Tsering Lama, Biology of Global Health
Rebecca El Choueiry, Biology of Global Health
Dawson Hillyer, Biology
Tyller Mensa, Biology
Emily Moses, Neurobiology
FORMER ROTATION STUDENTS:
Brek Eaton, IPN 2004
Jose Matta, Pharmacology 2004
Kamal Pathak, Biomedical Sciences 2004
Ioli Dukovic, IPN 2005
Danielle Evers, IPN 2006
Arianne Motter, Pharmacology 2006
Yeunkum Lee, Pharmacology 2007
Norman Goodacre, Biomedical Sciences 2008
Lauren Orefice, IPN 2008
Mark Niedringhaus, IPN 2009
Bridget Queenan, IPN 2009
Michael Shih, Pharmacology 2010
Carrie Leonard, IPN 2011
Megan Allen, IPN 2011
Marie Wilcox, Pharmacology 2012
Vivianne Greenwood, IPN 2013
Megan Huizenga, Pharmacology 2014
Thien Nguyen, Georgetown-NIH 2014
Joseph Posner, Georgetown MD/PhD, IPN 2016
Seham Alaiyed, Pharmacology 2016
Lauren Rosko, IPN 2016
Selena Garcia DuBar, Pharmacology 2017
Mai Abdel-Ghani, Pharmacology 2017
George Melchor, IPN Fall 2017
Hannah Fay, IPN Fall 2017
Amanda Schneeweis, Pharmacology 2018
Serena Scognamiglio, Pharmacology 2018
Danielle Morency, IPN 2018
Faisal Almansour, Cell Biology 2018
Griffin Greco, Pharmacology 2019
Michelle Kuah, Pharmacology 2019
Lara Stefansson, IPN Spring 2022
Rohith Battina, MD/PhD, Summer 2022
Reniel Suarez Gonzalez, Pharmacology Summer 2022
Nicole Marie Alvarez, IPN Spring 2023
Anjik Ghosh, Pharm Phys Spring 2024
Thomas Huff, Pharmacology Summer 2024
Emme Van Doorn, Pharmacology Summer 2025
Lewis Paul Edwards, IPN Spring 2026
Amy Ciceu, Pharmacology Summer 2026
FORMER SUMMER STUDENTS:
Reese Jaekyung Sim, 2008; Thomas Jefferson High School
Yoon Kyu Lee, 2012; Virginia Tech
Sea On Lee, 2012, 2013; Virginia Tech
Ryan Felix, 2013; Montgomery College
Anna Seo, 2013; Thomas Jefferson High School
Kyung Bin Im, 2016; Seoul National University, South Korea
Puneet Gupta, 2017; St. Bonaventure University
Olivia Vella, 2018; National Cathedral School
Ethan Shurberg, 2018; Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
Shiv Raman, 2022; Georgetown Day School
Kirk Wall, 2022; Georgetown Prep School
Rex Peikari, 2024; University of Texas, Dallas
Oliver Malkin, 2024; Georgetown Day School
Sharvi Gandhi, 2025; Broad Run High School
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