People
The People
Get to know us
Ilary Allodi
Ilary Allodi
Principal Investigator (she/her)
Made in Italy, Scandinavian adopted, food&wine devotee, Pilates addicted, colors&patterns aesthete, interface hater, cat-lover-but-dog-aficionado, sun chaser, art cognoscente, writer dilettante, science&tech adept, GO&Chess player, wonderlands finder.
Here you can read more about me.
University of St Andrews profile
University of Copenhagen profile
Twitter
Linkedin
Manuela Rizzi
Manuela Rizzi
Postdoc (she/her)
I am from a little town in Apulia, Italy, but my passion for science has guided me far north throughout these years ending up in Scotland. My background is in neuroscience with a focus on neurodevelopment and interest in molecular biology, bioinformatics and rodent behaviour, that I developed during my time at the University of Edinburgh, first as a PhD student and subsequently as a Research Associate. While on my scientific journey, I also explored neurodegeneration and Parkinson’s disease as part of an Erasmus Internship at Lund University and I am very excited to dive back into this research field joining Dr. Allodi’s lab. Here, I will characterize multiple models of ALS trying to disentangle the role of interneurons in the progress of degeneration and develop a potential gene therapy for the disease.
In addition to neuroscience, I am a mountain addict and always looking forward to new hikes. In my free time I love to bake savoury and sweet, watching TV series and get lost in nature and Scotland’s beautiful sceneries.
Beck Strohmer
Beck Strohmer
Postdoc (they/them)
Originally from the US, I moved to Denmark in 2008 working in supply chain management. In 2014, I went back to university and obtained my MSc in Engineering before completing a PhD in Neuromorphic Engineering. During my postdoc work, I have moved into the field of computational neuroscience, using my background building neural networks to study the breakdown in locomotion during neurodegenerative disease. Outside of work, I am part of the voguing scene in Denmark as well as an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.
University of Copenhagen profile
Anna Villaume Stuckert
Anna Villaume Stuckert
PhD student (she/her)
I have a BSc in Cognitive Science with a thesis on interoceptive inference and decision-making from Aarhus University. I did my MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Copenhagen, with my thesis conducted in the NCDL group investigating the rescue of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) motor phenotype by Esyt1 systemic overexpression upon AAV-PHP.eB virus intravenous delivery. I am currently pursuing a PhD at the University of St Andrews, where I’m investigating mouse emotional facial expressions in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) as a window to neural circuit deficits occurring early in disease. I’m doing this utilising a VR environment and new machine learning methodology to improve behavioural assessment in disease and healthy conditions, with fibre photometry and optogenetics for in-vivo neural circuit assessment. I have a keen interest in the FTD-ALS continuum, especially emotionality in FTD, as well as decision neuroscience and especially decision impairments in disease. I am also passionate about crafting, including knitting, sewing, embroidery, as well as painting.
University of St Andrews profile
Twitter
Linkedin
https://annastuckert.github.io
Alexander Rodon
Alexander Rodon
PhD student (he/him)
I am a first-year PhD student. My research aims to unravel the role of Munc 13-1 in maintaining synaptic connectivity and motor functions within the motor system, and to understand how changes to this protein influence critical aspects of motor control. In my free time, I am a keen Golfer and love Liverpool football club!
Jui-Yi Chen
Jui-Yi Chen
Nicole Johnstone
Nicole Johnstone
PhD student (she/her)
Barry Haughian
Barry Haughian
PhD student (he/him)
Catrina Kivlin
Catrina Kivlin
Lab manager (she/her)
Bergen Allee
Bergen Allee
Lab assistant (she/her)
My name is Bergen, originally from Colorado, I am doing my undergraduate at the university of St Andrews in Neuroscience. I am especially interested in learning more about Neurodegenerative disorders. I love to bake and cook for others, I enjoy going to the gym, and spending my nights in, watching movies. I play basketball for the university as well. I also love all animals, but I especially miss my dogs and cat from home.
Bradley Teal
Bradley Teal
MRes student (he/him)
I completed my MSci in Biochemistry at Loughborough University, where my final year project explored mTOR signalling in muscle cell senescence (muscle ageing). This sparked my interest in brain ageing, specifically neurodegenerative disease, leading me to pursue an MRes in Neuroscience at St Andrews. My current research focuses on characterising an FUS R521C mutation in a mouse model to investigate disease onset and progression in frontotemporal dementia, combining behavioural assays with molecular techniques e.g., RNAscope. In my spare time, I enjoy the gym, running, road biking, hiking, and exploring museums, old ruins, and the theatre.
Angus Gray
Angus Gray
Undergraduate student (he/him)
I’m currently completing my fourth-year dissertation in Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews, where I’m computationally modelling healthy CPG circuitry and investigating asymmetrical ALS degeneration.
After graduation, I’m interested in pursuing further studies in neuroscience, particularly exploring how this field intersects with artificial intelligence.
Outside of academics, I’m the President of the Triathlon Club at the University, where I help manage the club’s day-to-day operations and activities.
Molly Roberts
Molly Roberts
Undergraduate student (she/her)
Previous trainees
Rasmus von Huth Friis
Jan Kaminski
Juan Pineda
Lennart Groh
Roser Montañana-Rosell
Anastasia Seccombe
Kendra Melville
Haoyu (Harvey) Wang
Santiago Mora
Collaborators
Prof. Ole Kiehn
Dr Jessica Ausborn
Prof. Gareth Miles
Prof. Julie Atkin
Dr Raghavendra Selvan
Prof. Joost Verhaagen
Prof. Frank Gunn-Moore