Leifer Lab @ Princeton - Optical neurophysiology of behavior

Current Lab Members

Andrew Leifer, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

220 Jadwin Hall | 250 PNI
leifer@princeton.edu
(609) 258-8779
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Andrew Leifer, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Physics and Neuroscience at Princeton University. He obtained a B.S. in Physics and B.A. in Political Science at Stanford University in 2007 and earned his Ph.D. in Biophysics from Harvard University in 2012 under the guidance of Professor Aravinthan Samuel. He then received a Lewis-Sigler Fellowship to form his own independent research group at Princeton University, where he subsequently joined the faculty in 2016. He is an Investigator in the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain and a recipient of the National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award and the National Science Foundation's CAREER Award.

Anuj Sharma, Ph.D.

Associate Professional Specialist and Lab Manager

aksharma@princeton.edu
(609) 258-8635

Anuj Sharma is an Associate Professional Specialist and Lab Manager in the Department of Physics. Previously, he had been a Postdoctoral Associate at University of Maryland, College Park and Cornell University, Ithaca. He received his Doctorate in Biotechnology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Other than science, he is interested in Nature Photography and Sketching.

Junang Li, Ph.D.

NSF CPBF Fellow

junangl@princeton.edu

Junang is a fellow in the Center for the Physics of Biological Function studying the nonequilibrium nature of the neural and behavioral dynamics of C.elegans. He received his PhD from MIT, working with Nikta Fakhri trying to understand emergent behavior of active matter through the lens of thermodynamics. Beyond research, he enjoys running, skiing and reading.

Sophie Dvali

Graduate Student

sdvali@princeton.edu
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Sophie is a graduate student in the Physics program and is interested in studying the dynamics of the C. elegans nervous system. She grew up in Munich Germany, before heading to New York University where she graduated with a B.A. in Physics. It was there that she became interested in studying biophysics and computational neuroscience while working on navigational decision making in Drosophila larvae. Beyond research, she enjoys rock climbing, skiing, playing music, and being outdoors.

Emily Osborne

Graduate Student

eo9231@princeton.edu

Emily is a graduate student in the Physics department. She attended The Ohio State University for undergraduate studies, focusing on the physics of motion in magnetic bacteria. After arriving at Princeton, she became interested in neuroscience, with a focus on understanding the neural dynamics of learning in C. elegans. Alongside research, she enjoys hiking, playing tennis, music, and exploring new restaurants.

Wayan Gauthey

Graduate Student

wgauthey@princeton.edu
Joint with Malal Murthy.

Wayan is a graduate student in Neuroscience and is jointly advised by Andrew Leifer and Mala Murthy. He is interested in the neural basis of brain-wide dynamics underlying behavior in C.elegans and Drosophila. He received his M.S in Neuroscience and Neuroinformatics from the University of Zurich where he studied the mechanisms controlling synaptic nano-architecture in Drosophila. Outside of the lab he plays ice hockey.

Pearl Thijssen

Graduate Student

pt4009@princeton.edu

Pearl is a graduate student in the Physics department interested in studying the dynamics of neuropeptides in C. elegans. She received a BA in Physics and Philosophy from Wellesley College, and studied quantum materials prior to joining the lab. Pearl also enjoys reading, spending time outdoors, and coming up with terrible puns.