The NeuroTechnology Studio’s dedicated staff work with investigators to optimize the imaging technologies being used in their experiments, ensure the quality of emerging data, and help with data interpretation. They also will maintain the equipment, handle upgrades, contribute to or lead equipment-based grant applications and develop new techniques.
Lai Ding, Ph.D.
Senior Imaging Scientist
Office: 617-264-5946
Cell: 781-901-6116
Lai Ding is the Senior Imaging Scientist at the NeuroTechnology Studio and the first member of its team of scientists.
Previously, Dr. Ding served for ten years as manager of the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center’s Enhanced Neuroimaging Core, providing comprehensive optical imaging service and technical expertise to research groups across the Harvard Longwood community with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Ding received his BS in Physics and Mathematics from University of Science and Technology of China in 1998 and his PhD in Biophysics from Rice University in 2004. Ding’s doctoral research investigated bacterial membrane structure and its interaction with peptides using various indirect imaging methodologies, including X-ray diffraction and neutron scattering. After receiving his PhD, Dr. Ding managed the Tufts Center for Neuroscience imaging facility for two years before joining the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center. Dr. Ding also has served as instructor for two imaging courses at the Harvard Extension School and Harvard Summer School between 2010 – 2017.
Xianjun Dong, Ph.D
Director, Genomics and Bioinformatics Hub
Office: 857-307-5423
Xianjun Dong is the director of the newly established Genomics and Bioinformatics Hub, which will provide bioinformatics support to the BWH neuroscience research community. Dr Dong is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at BWH and Harvard Medical School, and a member of the Precision Neurology Program at BWH. Biography
Allison Mello
Administrative Assistant
Office: 617-525-5330
Cell: 401-585-5127
Allison Mello is a recent graduate of Bay State College with a degree in Management alongside a concentration specifically in Healthcare Management. Previous to this position she spent time at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination as an Administrative Support/ Language Access intern. During her time in college, she was given a Program Leadership award. Here at BWH, she will provide administrative support for all aspects of the PIN mission as well as support for neurology research groups based in the Hale Building for Transformative Medicine.
Charles Jennings, Ph.D
Executive Director
Charles Jennings is the Executive Director of the Program for Interdisciplinary Neuroscience, which oversees the NeuroTechnology Studio. He joined BWH in 2017. Biography
Other Staff Contacts
The NeuroTechnology Studio also partners with other core facilities and laboratories, including the following:
Single Cell Genomics Core: Adam Chicoine, Core Manager
FACS Analyzer: Clare Baecher-Allan, Ph.D., Flow Cytometry Core Director
Laboratory for Drug Discovery in Neuroscience: Kevin Hodgetts, Ph.D., Director
Moffitt Lab, Boston Children’s Hospital: Paolo Cadinu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow and MERFISH project lead
Paolo.Cadinu@childrens.harvard.edu
Genomics and Bioinformatics Hub: Xianjun Dong, Ph.D., Director