PRISM Mentors

Mission: Our mission is to understand the role of mechanosensation in the eye and how it relates to glaucoma.

Approach: Our goal is to discover new strategies for treating glaucoma by understanding the mechanisms of mechanosensation in the eye. By combining human genetic analyses, in vitro molecular and electrophysiological approaches, and in vivo mouse models of glaucoma, we are currently studying the role of mechanosensitive ion channels in glaucoma.

Questions: · What are the ion channels that mediate pressure sensing in the eye? · What physiological roles do these channels play in the eye? · Do these ion channels mediate the development of glaucoma and other ocular pathologies?

Techniques: · in vitro electrophysiological recording  of ion channel activity · in vitro optical imaging of ion channel activity · in vitro mechanical stimulation of individual cells · genetic manipulation of specific cell types · mouse models of glaucoma

My research interests can be broadly defined as the study of active faults, the earthquakes they generate and the physics of the earthquake source. A major objective of my work is to improve our knowledge of earthquake hazards through the application of physics-based understanding of the underlying processes. I have also long been committed to earthquake risk reduction, specifically through the transfer of scientific understanding of the hazard to people, businesses, policymakers and government agencies.  I co-direct the Stanford Center for Induced and Triggered Seismicity where we pursue a broad range of fundamental and applied research into the underlying causes of human-induced earthquakes and solutions to mitigate their risk.

Giardino Lab: Circuits & Systems Neuroscience

Our research group aims to decipher the neural mechanisms underlying the interactions between psychiatric conditions of addiction, stress, and sleep disturbances. The Giardino Lab uses in vivo physiological tools for neural recording and neuromodulation in genetic mouse models to dissect the neuropeptide basis of extended amygdala circuit function in motivated behaviors with molecular and synaptic resolution. The lab, located in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences' Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, is currently accepting applicants for postdoctoral researchers.

Research Topics

• Stress & Reward
• Drug Addiction
• Sex Differences
• Wakefulness/Arousal
• Neuropeptide Release & Signaling
• Feeding & Metabolism

 Research Approaches

• Neuromodulation (optogenetics, chemogenetics)
• Neurophysiological recordings (fiber photometry, calcium imaging, EEG/EMG)
• Neurogenetics (CRISPR/Cas9 editing, Cre/loxP recombination, viral gene transfer, mouse genetics) 
• Neuroanatomy (circuit tracing, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, confocal & light sheet microscopy)
• Neuropharmacology (alcohol & drug self-administration, receptor mechanisms)
• Computation (neural circuit modeling, machine learning analysis of behavioral & physiological datasets)
• Behavior and Evolution (rodent model organisms, cross-species comparisons)
• Translation (interdisciplinary and clinical collaborations, treatment development)

Required Qualifications: Ph.D. in neuroscience/ psychology/ biology/ related field (or other doctoral degree with relevant research experience) Excellent publication record (including first-author papers) Enthusiasm for making new discoveries on the neural basis of behavior (stress, addiction, sleep/wake arousal states) Computational expertise / programming skills (strongly encouraged but not required) Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Stanford (non-negotiable)

Required Application Materials: Curriculum Vitae Cover letter describing your interest in the position (1-2 brief paragraphs) Contact info for 2+ references (name & email address)

Contact: willgiar at stanford dot edu

Giardino Lab: Circuits & Systems Neuroscience

Our research group aims to decipher the neural mechanisms underlying the interactions between psychiatric conditions of addiction, stress, and sleep disturbances. The Giardino Lab uses in vivo physiological tools for neural recording and neuromodulation in genetic mouse models to dissect the neuropeptide basis of extended amygdala circuit function in motivated behaviors with molecular and synaptic resolution. The lab, located in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences' Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, is currently accepting applicants for postdoctoral researchers.

Research Topics

• Stress & Reward
• Drug Addiction
• Sex Differences
• Wakefulness/Arousal
• Neuropeptide Release & Signaling
• Feeding & Metabolism

 Research Approaches

• Neuromodulation (optogenetics, chemogenetics)
• Neurophysiological recordings (fiber photometry, calcium imaging, EEG/EMG)
• Neurogenetics (CRISPR/Cas9 editing, Cre/loxP recombination, viral gene transfer, mouse genetics) 
• Neuroanatomy (circuit tracing, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, confocal & light sheet microscopy)
• Neuropharmacology (alcohol & drug self-administration, receptor mechanisms)
• Computation (neural circuit modeling, machine learning analysis of behavioral & physiological datasets)
• Behavior and Evolution (rodent model organisms, cross-species comparisons)
• Translation (interdisciplinary and clinical collaborations, treatment development)

Required Qualifications: Ph.D. in neuroscience/ psychology/ biology/ related field (or other doctoral degree with relevant research experience) Excellent publication record (including first-author papers) Enthusiasm for making new discoveries on the neural basis of behavior (stress, addiction, sleep/wake arousal states) Computational expertise / programming skills (strongly encouraged but not required) Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Stanford (non-negotiable)

Required Application Materials: Curriculum Vitae Cover letter describing your interest in the position (1-2 brief paragraphs) Contact info for 2+ references (name & email address)

Contact: willgiar at stanford dot edu

Giardino Lab: Circuits & Systems Neuroscience

Our research group aims to decipher the neural mechanisms underlying the interactions between psychiatric conditions of addiction, stress, and sleep disturbances. The Giardino Lab uses in vivo physiological tools for neural recording and neuromodulation in genetic mouse models to dissect the neuropeptide basis of extended amygdala circuit function in motivated behaviors with molecular and synaptic resolution. The lab, located in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences' Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, is currently accepting applicants for postdoctoral researchers.

Research Topics

• Stress & Reward
• Drug Addiction
• Sex Differences
• Wakefulness/Arousal
• Neuropeptide Release & Signaling
• Feeding & Metabolism

 Research Approaches

• Neuromodulation (optogenetics, chemogenetics)
• Neurophysiological recordings (fiber photometry, calcium imaging, EEG/EMG)
• Neurogenetics (CRISPR/Cas9 editing, Cre/loxP recombination, viral gene transfer, mouse genetics) 
• Neuroanatomy (circuit tracing, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, confocal & light sheet microscopy)
• Neuropharmacology (alcohol & drug self-administration, receptor mechanisms)
• Computation (neural circuit modeling, machine learning analysis of behavioral & physiological datasets)
• Behavior and Evolution (rodent model organisms, cross-species comparisons)
• Translation (interdisciplinary and clinical collaborations, treatment development)

Required Qualifications: Ph.D. in neuroscience/ psychology/ biology/ related field (or other doctoral degree with relevant research experience) Excellent publication record (including first-author papers) Enthusiasm for making new discoveries on the neural basis of behavior (stress, addiction, sleep/wake arousal states) Computational expertise / programming skills (strongly encouraged but not required) Commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Stanford (non-negotiable)

Required Application Materials: Curriculum Vitae Cover letter describing your interest in the position (1-2 brief paragraphs) Contact info for 2+ references (name & email address)

Contact: willgiar at stanford dot edu

Our lab studies the molecular mechanisms of and develops therapies to treat autoimmune and rheumatic diseases, with a focus on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

The overriding objectives of our laboratory are:

1) To investigate the mechanisms underlying autoimmune diseases.

2) To develop novel diagnostics and therapeutics for autoimmune and rheumatic diseases.

3) To investigate the role of innate immune inflammation in osteoarthritis.

We perform translational research, with the goal of rapidly converting discoveries made at the bench into practical patient care tools and therapies.

Our lab studies the molecular mechanisms of and develops therapies to treat autoimmune and rheumatic diseases, with a focus on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

The overriding objectives of our laboratory are:

1) To investigate the mechanisms underlying autoimmune diseases.

2) To develop novel diagnostics and therapeutics for autoimmune and rheumatic diseases.

3) To investigate the role of innate immune inflammation in osteoarthritis.

We perform translational research, with the goal of rapidly converting discoveries made at the bench into practical patient care tools and therapies.

Use artificial intelligence in image and biology guided radiotherapy and medical image analysis (PET/CT).

Theranostic nanoparticles for radiosensitization and medical imaging.

Novel treatment technique for ocular disease radiotherapy.

Radio-neuromodulation using focused kV x-rays.

Ultrasound parametric imaging.

Our lab study neural circuits underlying motivated behaviors and how maladaptive change in these circuits causing neuropsychiatric disorders. We currently focuse on pain and addiction. Both conditions trigger highly motivated behaviors, and the transition to chronic pain and to compulsive drug use involves maladaptive changes of the underlying neuronal circuitry. 

Neuroal circuits mediating opioid addiction:

We established the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) to nucleus accumbens (NAc) pathway as a promising target for treating opioid addiction (Zhu et al., 2016), and revealed the PVT’s role in tracking the dynamics of behavioral relevance and gating associative learning (Zhu et al., 2018).  Using brainwide activity mapping, we identifed a distributed neuronetwork including 23 brain regions that might involve in storing drug-associated memory (Keyes et al, 2020). Ongoing work in the lab is to examining how   

Neuroal circuits underlying descending pain modulation:

We developed a battery of viral, genetic and imaging tools and gained robust access of the mu-opioid receptor expressing spinal cord projecting neurons in the rostromiddel medulla (RVM). We found that these neurons has limited contirbution to nociception in normal mice but is essential for the initiation and maintenance of nerve injury induced chronic pain. We are profiling nerve injury caused gene expression changes in these neurons with the goal to identify key molecular plays that engages these neurons in chronic pain. Based on our finding, we will develop gene therapy reagents and small molecues to treat chronic pain.     

Mitochondria move and undergo fission and fusion in all eukaryotic cells. The accurate allocation of mitochondria in neurons is particularly critical due to the significance of mitochondria for ATP supply, Ca++ homeostasis and apoptosis and the importance of these functions to the distal extremities of neurons. In addition, defective mitochondria, which can be highly deleterious to a cell because of their output of reactive oxygen species, need to be repaired by fusing with healthy mitochondria or cleared from the cell. Thus mitochondrial cell biology poses critical questions for all cells, but especially for neurons: how the cell sets up an adequate distribution of the organelle; how it sustains mitochondria in the periphery; and how mitochondria are removed after damage. The goal of our research is to understand the regulatory mechanisms controlling mitochondrial dynamics and function and the mechanisms by which even subtle perturbations of these processes may contribute to neurodegenerative disorders.

Biomaterials, medical devices, drug delivery, stem cells and 3D bioprinting for musculoskeletal tissue engineering

The Sellers Laboratory and Clinical Research Group are engaged in research spanning basic and translational laboratory science - clinical research - quality improvement initiatives.  Projects are focused on improving the health of children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis and digestive diseases.

Key areas of our research include:

-- Epithelial airway and intestinal ion transport, with specific focus on bicarbonate secretion

-- Pancreatitis and the bi-directional relationship between the pancreas and intestines

-- Cystic fibrosis-associated liver disease

-- Epidemiology of rare diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and concurrent pancreatitis with other childhood diseases

Skin-inspired electronics, stretchable, self-healing and biodegradable electronic materials and devices, wearable electronics, implantable electronics, polymer for battery applications, conductive metal-organic-framework, high surface area carbon materials, carbon nanotube electronics, organic transistors, sensors, solar cells, soft electronics for neuro-interface

We are working closely with colleagues in Science, Engineering and Medicine to advance the use of soft electronics for wearable and implantable electronics for precision health, precision mental health and advance the understanding of neuroscience. Her group has developed foundational materials and devices that enabled a a new generation of skin-inspired soft electronics. They open up unprecedented opportunities for understanding human health and developing monitoring, diagnosis and treatment tools. A few recent examples include: a wireless tuner growth monitoring tool, a wireless wound healing patch, a soft neurostring for simultaneous neurochemical monitoring in the brain and gut, and Mentaid: a wearable for monitoring mental health. Our work engage students and postdocs with training background in chemistry, chemical engineering, material science and engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or bioengineering.