New role as Assistant Professor in the Kitazawa Lab

Islam Faress has been promoted to Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at the Kitazawa Lab, DANDRITE. Over the past 10 years at DANDRITE, Faress has established a focus as a behavioral neurophysiologist analyzing the circuit and synaptic mechanisms of associative learning. This research correlates neural activity with behavioral output using optogenetics, electrophysiology, and calcium and neurotransmitter sensors. Faress is currently investigating the role of cross-hemispheric communication in attention and episodic memory.

During this assistant professorship, Faress will expand on “epigenetic memory,” examining mechanisms from the network level down to the nucleus. Newly integrated work includes utilizing molecular recording technology to dissect the interface between learning and memory formation in the hippocampus. Furthermore, Faress will engineer and produce specialized viral tools for circuit and molecular neuroscience applications. This approach bridges molecular and systems neuroscience to determine exactly how experiences are encoded and maintained.