Takao K. Hensch
Professor, Molecular & Cellular Biology
Professor, Neurology (Children’s Hospital)
Director, Child Brain Development (CIFAR)
Director, IRCN (UTIAS)
Director, NIMH Silvio Conte Center
Center for Brain Science
Harvard University
hensch@mcb.harvard.edu
Takao K. Hensch, PhD, is joint professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School at Boston Children’s Hospital, and professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard’s Center for Brain Science. After undergraduate studies with Dr. J. Allan Hobson at Harvard, he was a student of Dr. Masao Ito at the University of Tokyo (MPH) and a Fulbright fellow with Dr. Wolf Singer at the Max-Planck Institute for Brain Research, before receiving a PhD in neuroscience working with Dr. Michael Stryker at the University of California, San Francisco in 1996. He then helped to launch the RIKEN Brain Science Institute as lab head for neuronal circuit development and served as group director (and now special advisor) before returning to the United States in 2006. Professor Hensch has received several honors, including the Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award in both Japan (2001 Tsukahara Prize) and the United States (2005), as well as an NIH Director’s Pioneer award (2007).
Professor Takao K. Hensch MCB Profile
Professor Takao K. Hensch Conte Center Profile
Teresa Cramer
Postdoc.Mobility Fellow, Center for Neuroscience, Zürich
Harvard University
TCramer@fas.harvard.edu
Teresa is interested in determining the impact of extracellular matrix alterations, specifically Perineuronal Nets, on critical period and adult plasticity. She obtained her Master’s degree in Neuroscience from UCL, University College London. At the Hensch/Fagiolini lab, she is working as a Doc.Mobility fellow from the Center for Neuroscience, Zürich, where she is undertaking her PhD.
Saad Hannan
Research Associate, Harvard University
SaadHannan@fas.harvard.edu
Saad aims to decipher how interneurons develop, function and shape behavior early in development with emphasis on understanding processes that go wrong in neurodevelopmental disorders. He completed his Bachelor’s, PhD and several postdoctoral fellowships from University College London specializing on GABAergic neurotransmission.
Nate Hodgson
Research Associate, F.M. Kirby Neurobiological Center at Boston Children’s Hospital
Nathaniel.Hodgson@childrens.harvard.edu
Nate’s research is focused on the role of oxidative stress and redoxbuffering in neurological disorders. Currently, he is studying the regulation of perineuronal net formation by OTX2 and how perineuronal nets impact the metabolism of thiol-containing amino acids and glutathione in parvalbumin-positive interneurons. Nate received his BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Gettysburg College and his PhD in Pharmacology from Northeastern University, where he worked with Professor Richard Deth.
Kathleen Hoffman
Animal Technologist, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology
kathleenhoffman@fas.harvard.edu
Kathleen’s focus is to oversee the colony of live animals, ensuring genetic integrity of the colony and the humane care and use of lab animals, by working closely with the IACUC and Office of Animal Resources. She consults with researchers to aid in developing their studies, and trains new students who join the lab. Kate received a BS in Animal and Veterinary Science from URI. She is the current New England Branch representative for legislative action to the AALAS, and serves as the Program Chair on the New England Branch of the American Association of Lab Animal Science Board of Directors.
Isabelle Kim
Research Assistant, Department of Neurobiology at Boston Children’s Hospital
isabelle.kim@childrens.harvard.edu
Isabelle is interested in understanding the impact of early adverse experiences, specifically intergenerational trauma, on brain development, function, and plasticity. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Social Work from the Boston College School of Social Work where she worked with Dr. Jessica Black studying the intersection of social work and neuroscience.
R. Mason Rodriguez
Research Assistant II, Department of Neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital
roland.rodriguez@childrens.harvard.edu
Mason’s work focuses on using optogenetic fiber photometry to study signaling in the anterior cingulate cortex in an attempt to elucidate many of the fundamental cognitive processes this brain region appears responsible for.
Mason received his B.S. in neuroscience from the University of Tennessee Knoxville and prior to joining the Hensch/Fagiolini lab, Mason worked in the Conn Lab in the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Vanderbilt University under the auspices of Dr. Daniel Foster.
Hensch Lab 