Lab Members
Orna Issler, PhD
Assistant professor
Department of Neuroscience
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative Care, and Pain Medicine
Institute of Translational Neuroscience
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Dr. Orna Issler earned her BA in Biology and Psychology from Tel-Aviv University in Israel, and her MSc and PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel from the Department of Neurobiology. During her graduate work in the laboratory of Alon Chen, she studied microRNAs in stress, anxiety, and depression. For her post-doctoral training, she joined the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in the Neuroscience department in the laboratory of Eric Nestler. There she expanded her interests to studying the role of long noncoding RNAs in mood disorders, focusing on sex-specific targets. For her research, Dr. Issler won multiple awards, including the ISPG Gershon Paper of the Year Award, the Leon Levy Fellowship, and the NARSAD Young Investigator Award. Collectively, Dr. Issler's expertise is in studying the role of noncoding RNAs in neuroscience, combining genome-wide assays and gene-to-behavior approaches to achieve real translational impact.
Nicolò Carmelo Mangraviti earned a BSc in Biotechnology and an MSc in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Sapienza University of Rome. He then moved to Maastricht University in the Netherlands for his PhD, where he studied cardiovascular diseases and characterized a series of lncRNAs involved in cardiac hypertrophy. After completing his PhD, he worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale University, focusing on the role of lncRNAs in cancer. He later decided to embark on a new adventure with Prof. Issler, investigating the molecular functions of lncRNAs in psychological disorders such as depression and phantom pain. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing the piano and teaching improvisational theater.
Tyrique Richardson is a PhD student in the Neuroscience program at NYU. He earned a B.A. in Biochemistry and Psychology from Earlham College. Before joining NYU, Tyrique worked as a research assistant at the Mayo Clinic, where he investigated the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders, focusing on mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction. In collaboration with Dr. Robert Froemke, he explores transcriptional, epigenetic, behavioral, and synaptic plasticity changes in maternal brains from gestation through the postnatal period. His future research aims to identify biomarkers and investigate the potential trans-generational effects of postpartum depression, including its relationship to neurodevelopmental disorders."
Catherine Leckie is a PhD student in the Neuroscience program at NYU. She previously earned her B.S. in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to joining NYU, she worked as a research assistant at the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, where she investigated the epigenetic effects of environmental stress factors on oligodendrocyte function and the implication of these effects in psychological disorders. Catherine’s research interests broadly include gene-environment interactions in neuropsychiatric disorders, with a focus on the epigenetic mechanisms of stress resilience.
Apolline Savarit earned her BS in Biology from the Université of Bordeaux, and her MS in Neuroscience from the Aix-Marseille Université in France. During her internship at the Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (Aix-Marseille Université), in collaboration with Boarding Ring, she studied the effectiveness of the Seenetic VR® in alleviating motion sickness. For her second graduate internship, she joined the laboratory of Jack Tsao in the Department of Neurology of NYU Langone Health to study phantom phenomena, particularly in spinal cord-injured patients. She pursued in the same laboratory as an Assistant Research Scientist and is now excited to be our lab manager.
Sophia Jiang is currently a sophomore at NYU studying Biology alongside a minor in Nutrition. She cares deeply about mental health and how molecular biology underlies depression and stress-related conditions, and her prior research experience focused on evaluating drug therapies and cancer progression in mouse models. She is grateful for the opportunity to continue learning from and contributing to translational research through the field of neuroscience at the Issler Lab!
Zainab Rana is currently a junior at NYU pursuing a BA in Biology with minors in Chemistry and South Asian Studies on the pre-med track. She is passionate about understanding biology on a molecular and cellular level and is excited to apply that interest to neuroscience research focused on mental health and stress-related disorders. Through her previous research experiences, she has developed a strong appreciation for translational science and the ways research can directly improve people’s lives. Outside of the lab, she enjoys mentoring students, volunteering within her community, and building meaningful connections with others. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Issler Lab while continuing to explore the intersection of neuroscience, mental health, and human connection.
Alumni
Shambhavi Joshi Undergraduate 2025
Maya Zahra Farzinpour, PhD Postdoc 2024-2026
Juliette Yang Undergraduate 2024-2026
Megha Rameshkumar Undergraduate 2025-2026
We are looking for a postdoc
We are looking for a candidate who is highly motivated, critical, and inquisitive, and has excellent interpersonal and communication skills. The candidate should have a Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. in neuroscience, molecular biology, psychology, or another relevant field. We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in stress and pain research using mice and ideally also in generating and analyzing omics datasets.
To apply, please send a cover letter detailing your research interests, your CV, and the contact information of three references to orna.issler@nyulangone.org