Principal Investigator
Ezgi Hacisuleyman, Ph.D.
Ezgi completed her undergraduate education in Molecular Biology and Chemical Engineering at MIT and received her Ph.D. from Harvard University. She then transitioned to Jonathan Weissman’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow for one and a half years. After developing a proximity-based ribosome profiling approach in the Weissman lab, she moved to Bob Darnell’s group at the Rockefeller University to utilize her method to understand localized RNA and translational dynamics in neurons. She started her independent position in February, 2024. Outside of science, she enjoys playing the violin, painting, discovering the house music scenes, and spending time with her puppy Nobel.
Graduate Students
Madison Jones
Madison graduated from Pennsylvania State University – The Behrend College, where she studied Biology and concentrated in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Biochemistry. During her undergraduate studies, she was a part of the Penn State Behrend Women’s Soccer team, the women’s soccer representative for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and conducted research in Behrend’s Biomedical Translational Research Lab. After graduation, she moved to Penn State University Park and became a research technologist in Dr. Hannah Schreier’s lab. The lab was involved in a longitudinal study that examined how maltreatment in childhood is related to chronic disease risk in adulthood by assessing the immune response. Madison’s research interests include understanding the dynamics of the human brain with an emphasis on neurological disorders. Outside the lab, she enjoys walking on the beach, playing soccer, and sitting on the porch with her cats.
Ulas Kaplan
Ulas earned his B.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Genetics from the Izmir Institute of Technology in Turkey and his M.Sc. in Molecular Life Sciences from the University of Jena in Germany. He spent 2.5 years as a research fellow in the Trojanowska lab at Boston University, where he focused on vessels and fibrosis. Since 2024, Ulas has been a member of the Hacisuleyman lab, studying the role of small peptides generated from 5’UTRs in neurons. Outside the lab, he likes to cook, he likes to bake, but most importantly, he likes to eat.
Research Technicians
Alexander Valera
After several years of clinical experience working with patients suffering from addiction, Alexander transitioned into molecular research with a practical perspective. He is intrigued by the complexities of learning and memory; probing synaptic transmission, plasticity, and brain disease development. Outside of the lab, he finds inspiration in environmental conservation and waterborne activities, which is reflective of his native Floridian roots. With a Master’s degree in Business & Biotechnology, coupled with a bachelor’s in Neuroscience & Behavior, he is driven to bridge his personal passions with scientific inquiry.
Alperen Baran
Alperen received his Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Bilkent University, where he gained experience in cancer research and immunogenetics. He completed his master’s under the supervision of Dr. Serkan Belkaya, focusing on the characterization of a novel heterozygous NFKB2 variant with common variable immune deficiency (CVID). Alperen’s research interest lies in exploring the molecular mechanisms of synaptic function. His personal experience with his mother’s battle against trigeminal neuralgia has further fueled his curiosity about neural disorders and the underlying molecular processes. With a background in immune signaling, Alperen is eager to apply his knowledge to synaptic biology and contribute to advancing the understanding of neurological diseases. Outside the lab, he is a social butterfly who enjoys both cooking and dining with friends. He loves exploring new cuisines and creating memorable experiences around food.