People

Mike Sidorov is an Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator in the Center for Neuroscience Research at Children’s National Research Institute. Mike received his Ph.D. in neuroscience at MIT, where he studied mechanisms of plasticity in Fragile X syndrome. He did postdoctoral training at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he studied neural circuits and biomarkers in Angelman syndrome.

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Caleigh received her PhD in Psychology at UW Madison. Her dissertation explored the role of neuropeptides on ultrasonic vocalizations and social behavior in California mice. She received her master’s from Western University of Health Sciences where she studied induced-pluripotent stem cells as a therapy for Parkinson’s disease. She received her BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and her BA in Psychology at UC Davis. In her free time, Caleigh loves running outside, playing board games, listening to podcasts, eating good food, and hanging out with her husband, son, dog, and two cats.

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Ayse received her Ph.D. degree in Neurobiology from the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology in Magdeburg (Germany) in 2021. During her Ph.D. thesis, she investigated the participation of PMCA-Neuroplastin complexes in neuronal calcium regulation, signaling and plasticity. She obtained her M.Sc. degree in Molecular Life Sciences from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena (Germany) in 2016 and her B.Sc. degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics at Istanbul University (Turkey) in 2013. She joined Sidorov lab in 2022 and her work aims to discover which circuitry drives visual encoding and what cortical regions play a role in this. She explores long-range circuits from visual cortex to anterior cingulate cortex anatomically and also functionally. Furthermore, she studies experience-dependent plasticity to understand how visual experience shapes this circuitry and alterations causes disrupted visual processing in Angelman syndrome mouse model.

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Daniel received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from MIT in 2022, where he studied the cortical circuitry underlying visual recognition memory in mice. Before that, he received a B.S. in psychology from Haverford College in 2014. In the Sidorov lab, he is interested in studying the mechanisms and consequences of elevated delta oscillations in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome. When not in the lab he enjoys skiing and hiking in the mountains, reading, and trying new restaurants around DC.

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Jeremy graduated from the University of Maryland in 2024, where he majored in Psychology and minoring in Neuroscience. He is most interested in how neural circuitry gets dysregulated, particularly as it relates to mental illness. He hopes to eventually conduct research in order to better understand the neural basis of certain mental illnesses and explore the impact of environmental factors on neural functioning.

Courtni Foster is a medical student at Georgetown University School of Medicine. In 2020, she graduated from Howard University - summa cum laude - with a Bachelor of Science in Biology along with minors in Chemistry and Health Education (Maternal and Child Health concentration). For two years post graduation, Courtni was a research technician in the Ishibashi Laboratory at Children’s National where she investigated the effects of cardiac surgery and anesthesia on the developing brain in pediatric populations. During her undergraduate studies, Courtni also studied fetal alcohol exposure in the Burke Lab at Howard University College of Medicine and conducted external research on Autism at Princeton University and Reproduction at the University of Texas at Austin. In her free time Courtni enjoys serving District residents through orgs like S.O.M.E. and Mamatoto Village, listening to live music and reading fiction.

Adam is a junior Neuroscience major at the University of Maryland. He is conducting quantitative analysis of EEG data and neuronal activity in the context of different neurodevelopmental disorders. He hopes that his research will provide insights into the effects of sleep deprivation for individuals living with such conditions. Upon graduation, Adam aims to pursue a career in medicine. Outside the lab, he enjoys athletics, music, and spending time with friends and family.

Caleigh Moreland is a fourth year undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, where she is earning a Bachelor of Science in Cellular, Molecular, and Physiological Neuroscience and a minor in Law and Society (Constitutionalism and International Law). Her research focuses on immunohistochemistry and behavioral techniques in Angelman Syndrome. She is interested in vocal communication and social behavior. Upon graduation, Caleigh will pursue a career in medicine, as well as conduct further research on the effects of neurodegenerative diseases within the pediatric population.