POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLARS

SHULAN xiao, phd

Shulan completed her PhD research in our lab, focusing on spatial-light-modulator-based uncaging, optogenetics, and dendritic dynamics during sensory processing and behavior. Her current research combines in vivo and in vitro whole-cell electrophysiology, single-unit recordings, two-photon calcium imaging, transmitter uncaging, and optogenetics, with a focus on elucidating the computational principles of different cell types during sensory processing.

Email: xiao208@purdue.edu

CONnnor beck, Phd

dacheng mao, phd

Dacheng completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Beihang University and the Institute of Microelectronics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he developed graphene field-effect transistors for RF applications. He then completed his Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2024, focusing on scalable optoelectronic devices, such as micro-LEDs, for high-precision optogenetic perturbations in both in vivo and in vitro experiments. He joined Purdue in June 2024 and is currently researching the role of layer-specific optogenetics using monolithically integrated LED-silicon probes with a focus on unraveling thalamocortical synaptic contributions to active touch.

Email: mao216@purdue.edu

ALUMNI

daniel gonzales, Phd

Daniel received his PhD in Applied Physics from Rice University in 2019, where, during his PhD as an NSF GRFP awardee, he researched nanofabricated structures for assaying neurophysiology. He joined Purdue for Postdoctoral training in June 2019. Hisresearch focused on using nanoelectrodes, electrophysiology, and imaging to map subcellular activity at the brain surface. He was awarded a Lillian Gilbreth Fellowship, a HHMI Hanna Gray Fellowship, and a Burroughs Postdoctoral enrichment award for his work. In 2024, Daniel started his own laboratory at Vanderbilt University in the Biomedical Engineering Department with a joint appointment in the Vanderbilt Brain Institute. Check out his lab’s focus here https://gonzales.science/

Saumitra Yadav, Phd

Saumitra completed his PhD in nanoscience from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, where his thesis focused on two-photon microscopy using acousto-optic deflectors, electrophysiology, and nano-optics. He joined Purdue for postdoctoral training in August 2019. His work combines two-photon microscopy and electrophysiology to map synaptic, dendritic, and recurrent circuit dynamics in vitro and in vivo. In 2026, Saumitra joined Washington University in St. Louis as a research scientist.

Email: yadav36@purdue.edu

meisam Habibi matin, phD

Meisam completed his PhD from the University of Florida in 2021, where his thesis focused on microfluidics, bubble generation, and heat and mass transfer. He joined the NanoNeurotech lab in Oct 2021 as a postdoctoral scientist funded by the prestigious ASEE NSF Efellows program. His research focuses on the biophysical mechanisms underlying thermal cooling of brain circuits. In 2026, Meisam joined the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering as a lecturer.

Email: mhabibim@purdue.edu