Our Team
Meet the Principal Investigator
Professor of Neurosurgery, Biomedical Engineering, and Neurobiology at Duke University. Dr. Suthana has a diverse methodological background with expertise in human neuroimaging techniques such a fMRI, single neuron and LFP electrophysiology, and deep brain stimulation. Before moving to Duke University in 2025, Dr. Suthana held a position as Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Bioengineering, and Psychology at UCLA. She completed her graduate training in the UCLA Neuroscience Ph.D. program and postdoctoral training in the Department of Neurosurgery prior to joining faculty.
Dr. Suthana’s research focuses on the development of invasive and non-invasive methodologies that aim to understand and restore learning and memory functions in humans. Her laboratory includes members with diverse backgrounds in neuroscience, bioengineering, psychology, computer science, and physics and has ongoing collaborations with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to develop a miniaturized wireless neuroprosthetic device for treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Dr. Suthana’s research has been published in journals such as Nature, New England Journal of Medicine, and Neuron. Her research program has been awarded several NIH Brain Initiative grants including 2 UO1 and 2 RO1 awards, a McKnight Technological Innovations in Neuroscience Award, and a Keck Junior Faculty Award. She currently serves as the Associate Director of the Neuromodulation Division at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and co-directs the UCLA T32 Training program in Translational Neurotechnology. In 2019, she was awarded a postdoctoral mentoring award and continues to contribute to efforts aimed at increasing diversity, and educational and career opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities in her role as the Associate Director of Neuroscience outreach for the Brain Research Institute at UCLA.
Meet the Team
Assistant Professor – Neurosurgery
Martin’s research investigates how the brain organizes activity to support memory-guided actions. Using intracranial and scalp EEG alongside full-body motion capture, he examines neural and behavioral dynamics. This work builds on a trajectory spanning his PhD on the neural basis of self-movement, postdoctoral research on intrinsic brain activity at Campus Biotech in Geneva, and real-world and imagined navigation research at UCLA, deepening his understanding of how motor and memory systems interact.
Senior Research Associate
Marcia obtained her PhD from Sorbonne University in France. She then joined the Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience (Norway) to study spatial navigation in the context of normal and pathological aging using 7T MRI. At UCLA, she uses the RNS system to investigate the specialized neuronal networks within the medial temporal lobes responsible for integrating boundary and object cues within the cognitive representation of space.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Uros Topalovic, is a Post-doctoral Scholar at the Department of Neurosurgery. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from University of Belgrade, Serbia, and his PhD in electrical and computer engineering from UCLA. His research is a blend of engineering and neuroscience, which includes neural signal processing, data analysis and neuromodulating systems hardware/embedded implementations.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Wenxuan Jiang is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Psychiatry. She obtained her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2023. At UCLA, Wenxuan aims to investigate the neuromodulatory effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation on memory functions in patients with mild cognitive impairment. She is also interested in combining experimental and computational methods to study hippocampal and cortical circuit dynamics underlying learning and memory.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Alba completed her PhD in 2025 at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where she studied how emotion affects memory and how the medial temporal lobes process visual information. At Duke, she aims to study emotional memory and spatial navigation using intracranial recordings and deep brain stimulation, with the goal of advancing treatments for psychiatric disorders. She previously earned a BSc in Psychology from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and an MSc in Neuroscience from King’s College London.
Postdoctoral Scholar
Zidan completed her PhD at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, where she studied cortico-basal ganglia interaction during movement timing in rodents. Previously, she obtained a MSc in neuroscience from University College London, a BSc in Biochemistry from University of Birmingham in UK, and Huazhong Agricultural University in China. Zidan is interested in learning and memory, and how they’re modulated during sleep.
Graduate Student Researcher
Yuchao is a PhD student at Duke. He completed his BA in cognitive science at Haverford College and his DPT at the MGH Institute. He studied aesthetics, stroke, and dystonia using fMRI and TMS previously. Yuchao is interested in how cortico-subcortical dynamics can inform pathophysiology and treatment in movement disorders.
Graduate Student Researcher
Graduate Student Researcher
Graduate Student Researcher
Mikayla is a MD/PhD student in the UCLA Interdepartmental Program for Neuroscience. She earned a B.S. In Neuroscience from UCSC. She is interested in the neural mechanisms underlying human experiences, such as emotional memory, and psychiatric disorders, such as PTSD. Mikayla plans to leverage technology allowing remote iEEG and naturalistic memory capture to identify the neural patterns that occur as people with PTSD experience real emotional events in their lives.
Programmer Analyst
Daniel Batista is an Aeronautics simulation engineer, game developer, programmer, 3D animator, mocap technician and Kung Fu instructor. While getting his Master of Fine Arts at USC in Interactive Media & Games, he worked as a graduate research assistant in the Game Innovation Lab. He is passionate about using technology to address serious problems and turning complex tasks into something fun and entertaining.
Engineer/Data Analyst
Mauricio is a biomedical engineer with experience in signal processing and data analysis.
During his M.Sc. in Biological Sciences, at Wright State University, his research focus was on the role of neuromodulation in respiratory networks. He then moved to Dr. Golshani’s lab at UCLA, where he aimed to identify mechanisms underlying dysfunctional neural-networks in models of autism and epilepsy. He is passionate about therapeutic effects of neuromodulation on neurophysiological conditions.
Biomedical Engineer
Joel obtained his B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience at Duke University. His previous research involved utilizing fMRI, machine learning, and psychophysiology to decode the internal representations of arousal and valence in addition to categorical emotions. Joel is interested in using biomedical engineering to treat psychiatric disorders.
3D-Artist
Emi is a 3D modeler, texture, lighting artist, Dungeons and Dragons game master, and video game enthusiast. She obtained her B.F.A. in 3D animation from Pratt Institute, though she specializes in designing and creating immersive and photorealistic environments. She aims to use her technical skill and passion to make a difference in the lives of others.
Lab Manager
Sonja is a Research Associate at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. With a background in Biotechnology and Project Management, she is supporting all major research projects in the lab and interested in applying Virtual Reality to simulate Real World memory tasks.
Research Analyst
Clinical Research Coordinator
Clinical Research Coordinator
Jonny obtained her B.S. in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science at the University of Arizona with an emphasis in computation. While completing her degree, she worked in the Brain Imaging and TMS Lab studying cortical excitability, plasticity, and other early biomarkers of Alzheimer’s. Jonny is interested in applying neuroimaging and brain-stimulation to further understand neurological and psychiatric disorders for the development and improvement of therapeutic techniques.
Clinical Research Coordinator
Gabby obtained her B.S. in Neuroscience at UCLA. As an undergraduate student researcher in Dr. Kate Wassum’s lab, she investigated the neural correlates of habits and reward-related decision making in rodents. Gabby is interested in applying brain stimulation to the treatment of psychiatric disorders and cognitive deficits.
Clinical Research Coordinator
Undergraduate Student Researcher
