Affinity Groups
The HBI Affinity Groups gather diverse researchers in ongoing scientific conversations. This program expresses HBI’s mission to enliven a network of meaningful relationships spanning the range of disciplines contributing to brain science. Often these groups are initiated and managed by postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. HBI provides planning, communications support and funds for refreshments.
gNeuro
gNeuro is a forum for neuroscientists, gastroenterologists, immunologists, chemists, microbiologists, engineers and many others who are focused on the neurobiology of the gut to share ideas, tools, and the latest advances in this exciting field.
CONTACT: Amy Shepherd, Meenakshi Rao
gNeuro is a forum for neuroscientists, gastroenterologists, immunologists, chemists, microbiologists, engineers and many others who are focused on the neurobiology of the gut to share ideas, tools, and the latest advances in this exciting field. As a joint initiative of the Harvard Brain Science Initiative (HBI) and the Harvard Digestive Disease Center (HDDC), any member of the academic community across New England is invited to participate and welcome to join.
ACADEMIA-INDUSTRY DIALOGUES
This forum gathers academic and industry scientists to discuss best practices, protocols and challenges with new technologies (such as iPSCs, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, and 3D-culturing) to generate improved predictive models of neurological disease
CONTACT: Daniela Di Bella, Bruna Paulsen and Nivanthika Wimalasena
This forum gathers academic and industry scientists to discuss best practices, protocols and challenges with new technologies (such as iPSCs, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, and 3D-culturing) to generate improved predictive models of neurological disease. We invite all members of the Boston area academic and research community interested in cellular modeling of neurological disease to join in this series of discussions.
This program is sponsored by the Harvard Brain Science Initiative (HBI), in collaboration with the Translational Neuroscience Center (TNC) at Boston Children’s Hospital and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI).
Group Coordinators: Daniela Di Bella, PhD (Arlotta lab), Bruna Paulsen, PhD (Postdoc, Arlotta Lab), and Nivanthika Wimalasena (Graduate Student, Woolf Lab)
Scientific Advisors: Paola Arlotta, PhD, HSCRB, HMS, HSCI; Kevin, Eggan, PhD;, HSCRB, HSCI, Broad; Mustafa Sahin, MD, PhD, BCH; Clifford Woolf, MD, PhD, BCH, HMS, HSCI; Robin Kleiman, PhD, Biogen; Ricardo Dolmetsch, PhD, Novartis; Evgeny Shlevkov, Biogen.
NEURAL DEVELOPMENT CLUB
The NDC is a community of scientists from diverse scientific backgrounds with a shared interest in neural development and how it informs nervous system function and dysfunction.
CONTACT: NDCatHMS@gmail.com
Location: Harvard Medical School Quad
We facilitate discussion-based journal clubs, research-in-progress talks, and round table discussions on methods and other topics. Our aim is to foster a thriving community of developmental neurobiologists by offering a forum for sharing expertise, receiving feedback on ongoing work, and expanding our understanding of brain development. NDC welcomes anyone with an interest in neural development, including students, post-docs, technicians, and faculty, from any department, working in any model system. Meetings are currently held in person at the HMS Campus. Reach out to us if you would like to contribute or participate in our events!
Group Coordinators: Busola Olukoya (Graduate Student, Goodrich Lab) and Hannah Zucker (Graduate Student, Gu Lab)
CHRONOBIOLOGY & THE BRAIN
Our dinner seminars feature research presentations highlighting work-in-progress or nascent projects, and/or a timely review of an important topic in chronobiology.
CONTACT: Jonathan Lipton
Location: Harvard Medical School Quad, WAB236.
We welcome anyone interested in neuroscience and chronobiology (with diverse perspectives, ranging from theoretical to translational) across the Boston academic community to meet and discuss ongoing research and issues in a collaborative setting. Our dinner seminars feature research presentations highlighting work-in-progress or nascent projects, and/or a timely review of an important topic in chronobiology. We aim for lively discussion and hope to build an interdisciplinary learning community.
Group Coordinators: Jonathan Lipton, PhD (Assistant Professor, Boston Children’s Hospital), Rajindra (Raj) Aryal, PhD, (Instructor, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center), and Jessica Brooks (Graduate Student, Lipton Lab)
HBI BEHAVIOR MEETING
This ongoing dual-campus dinner program unites researchers working in different systems to explore general principles of behavioral regulation.
Group on hold for 2020/2021 academic year.
CONTACT: Michael Crickmore
Behavior is how animals execute their brain functions. This ongoing dual-campus dinner program unites researchers working in different systems to explore general principles of behavioral regulation. Each meeting includes two presentations, one from Cambridge, one from Longwood. Meetings are held and dinner served simultaneously at both Cambridge (NWB243) and Longwood (WAB236) campuses, with interactive video links. Attendance at the seminars is open to other neuroscience labs at Harvard and other area universities.
Presenting Labs Sixteen labs participate as “presenting members”: Andermann (BIDMC), Anthony (BCH), Crickmore (BCH), Datta (HMS), Dulac (FAS), Engert (FAS), Flavell (MIT), Hoekstra (FAS), Liberles (HMS), Murthy (FAS), Rogulja (HMS), Sabatini (HMS), Sahay (FAS), Samuel (FAS), Uchida (FAS), Zhang (FAS).
Group Coordinator and Scientific Director: Michael Crickmore, PhD (Assistant Professor, Boston Children’s Hospital)
MONTHLY NEURO MIXERS
Paused during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please do check out our hobby hours and other social events.
CONTACT: Adam Zajac, Staff Assistant, Harvard Brain Science Initiative
Co-sponsored by HBI, HMS Neuro and the Kirby Center, these monthly social gatherings are a new hybrid. Once per month we will combine traditional Neuro Friday Beer Hours in a larger event to include our broader community. All Harvard brain lab members are welcome! All mixers are held in WAB236.
NEUROENDOCRINE DIALOGS
Dinner seminars are open to all scholars with an interest in how hormones interact with the brain to control diverse behaviors.
Group was active from 2015 to 2020 and formerly led by Stephanie Rudolph now at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Please reach out to us if you are interested in this topic and have ideas for future events.
Founded by members of the Sabatini and Regehr labs at HMS, this group got its start in Fall 2015, with PIs and members from the following labs: Andermann (BIDMC), Dulac (FAS), Liberles (HMS), Lowell (BIDMC), Mazjoub (BCH), Rogulja (HMS). This ongoing community has grown beyond Harvard to include scholars from other area schools as well as the interested social scientists. Dinner seminars are open to all scholars with an interest in how hormones interact with the brain to control diverse behaviors.
Each seminar addresses a specific subject through two talks, one from the bench and one from the clinic. We have explored a wide range of topics, including feeding behaviors and metabolism, reproductive functions and social behaviors, sleep and stress. Recognizing the significance of emerging research pertaining to gender, we will dedicate up to half of this coming year’s program to this topic. Gender seminars will be held on the Cambridge campus to facilitate broader participation.
Banner image taken by Celia Muto.