Current Lab Members
Jonathan Lipton, MD, PhD | Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor of Neurology
A native of New York City, Jonathan Lipton studied Classics at Brown University ([ἓν οἶδα ὅτι] οὐδὲν οἶδα) and classical piano and conducting before joining the MD/PhD program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed his PhD on genetics of motivated behavior with Scott Emmons and then clinical training in child neurology and sleep medicine. After post-doctoral training with Mustafa Sahin at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, he joined the Kirby Center for Neurobiology at Boston Children’s Hospital where he is also a practicing pediatric neurologist.
The Lipton lab is fascinated by the interface between circadian rhythms and neurological disease. We take multi-disciplinary approaches that integrate cell biology, biochemistry with genetics and behavior in animal models. Our goal is to help unravel the ‘fourth dimension’ of cellular function to capitalize on temporal organization as an untapped source for novel neuropsychiatric therapeutics.
Suil Kim, PhD, Postdoc
suil.kim@childrens.harvard.edu
Suil is from South Korea and received his PhD in neuroscience at Vanderbilt University. He studied how a master circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the brain encodes various external lighting conditions and expresses plasticity at the molecular level. Outside of lab, he enjoys spending time with his family, exploring new places in New England, and trying different cuisines.
Sarah Ferraro, PhD, Postdoc
sarah.ferraro@childrens.harvard.edu
Sarah is from Montreal, Quebec where she obtained her PhD in biology at Concordia University under the supervision of Shimon Amir. Her doctoral work focused on circadian disruption in an animal model of autism spectrum disorder.
Nicole Gilette, MD/PhD student
nicole.gilette@childrens.harvard.edu
Nicole is a Philadelphian turn Bostonian and MD/PhD candidate in the Harvard/MIT HST program. Nicole used to study aromatase activity in crayfish exposed to various pesticides/herbicides and then went on to investigate the genetic and molecular regulators of cranial nerve and extra-ocular muscle development. She is now interested in how our environment and lifestyle choices (think nutritional components, exercise, light/dark cycles etc.) can modulate the development, activity and degeneration of the brain at the cellular level. She gets particularly jazzed thinking about how to leverage better understanding of cell biology in the CNS to then optimize its function, prevent damage, or repair it in the context of neurological disease. She enjoys hiking, playing classical piano and thinking about the dog she will get when she doesn't live in a minuscule Boston apartment.
Hannah Blume, PhD student
hannah.blume@childrens.harvard.edu
Hannah Blume is a Neuroscience PhD student. She studied Neuroscience and Gender Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Outside of lab she loves salsa dancing, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and eating food.
Mallory Caron, Research Assistant & Lab Manager
mallory.caron@childrens.harvard.edu
Mallory Caron is from Rockport, Maine and received a B.A. in biology from Bates College. She is interested in the intersection between circadian biology and neurological disease. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, baking, and enjoying good food.
Engie Mostafa, Research Assistant
engie.mostafa@childrens.harvard.edu
Engie is from Cairo, Egypt and received a B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an emphasis in Immunology and Pathogenesis, from UC Berkeley. She also double minored in Global Studies, with a special interest in the Middle East, and Politics, Philosophy, and Law. She previously worked in the Harris Lab studying inhibitors of the NS1 protein secreted by flaviviruses, specifically working with Zika and Dengue. Before that, she worked in the Krasileva Lab studying pathogen recognition in plants. Currently, she is interested in the intersection between immunology and neuroscience, especially regarding neurodegeneration and brain development. She hopes to apply to graduate school in the next few years. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring the city, collecting vinyl records, and spending time outdoors.
Waka Okuda, Northeastern co-op student.
Wakako (Waka) is from Lexington, MA and is a candidate for a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology at Northeastern University with a minor in Pharmaceutical Sciences. She previously completed a Research Internship in the Cell Division Dynamics Unit at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology studying spindle assembly and microtubule organization in human mitotic cells. Waka loves cats, mangoes, illustration, and graphic design, and likes to combine her creativity with scientific exploration.
Lab Alumni
Jessica Brooks, MS, graduate student, Harvard Medical School
Kevin Hochstrasser, MD, former Research Assistant, now Neurology resident Washington University St Louis
Lara Boyle, MD, PhD, former Research Assistant, Columbia University
Fortunate Chifamba, MPH, former Research Assistant and Graduate Student Fellow, now Infection Preventionist at Providence Alaska Medical Center
Tenley Archer, PhD, former post-doc , now Director of Biology at Biomea Fusion
Elizabeth Mahoney, former Research Assistant, now at NanoString Technologies
Hannah Hawks-Mayer, former Research Assistant, now at Cajal Neroscience
Jonathan Handy, former Research Assistant, now PhD candidate Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Kevin Zhang, former Research Assistant and Lab Manager, now MD/PhD candidate, Vanderbilt University
Melissa Roe, former summer research intern, Columbia University
Benjamin Weinberg, former undergraduate co-op student, Northeastern University
Lyric Gonzalez, former undergraduate co-op student, Northeastern University
Eliza Eaton, former undergraduate co-op student, Northeastern University
Ilaria came to the Lipton Lab after her brief post-doc experience in Margherita Maffei's Lab in Pisa where she investigated therapeutic strategies to enhance neuronal plasticity in obesity. Ilaria’s work in the Lipton Lab pioneered invesitagations of BMAL1 in synapses and its role in gating synaptic plasticity. Ilaria in her free time loves to swim and play piano, she also performs areal silk for the Commonwealth Circus Center in Boston. Ilaria is currently a Group Leader at the University of Milan.