Mentorship
Simon Downes Toney
2023-present
Currently: Undergraduate at Columbia University
Simon is a senior at Columbia University majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior. In the Abdus-Saboor lab, his research focuses on developing innovative methods to study visceral pain. Recently, he has been investigating the neuronal mechanisms behind lung pain using chemogenetics, combined with behavioral and molecular analysis. For his next step, Simon aims to pursue a PhD in molecular neuroscience. Outside the lab, he enjoys playing music, skateboarding, and hiking.
Jake Kothandaraman
2019-present
Currently: Undergraduate at New York University
Jake began working with Anastasia in 2019 while he was a high school student at the Bronx High School of Science, focusing on lung cancer immunology. He is now an undergraduate student at New York University and works as a research student at Columbia University, where he investigates how peripheral tumors affect neural circuitry using behavioral tools and systems neuroscience techniques. His long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist specializing in either oncology or neurology. Outside the lab, Jake enjoys spending time with friends and family, exploring new food places, rock climbing, chess and playing racket sports.
Alumni
Zenetta Hinojosa
Summer Student 2023
Currently: Undergraduate at University of Texas, San Antonio
Goldwater Scholar 2024
As a summer research student, I worked on developing novel, physiologically relevant mouse models of chemotherapy treatment. My goal is to earn a PhD in clinical neuropsychology and continue to explore the intersection of behavioral health, medicine and neuroscience.
Sevilla Duran
2023-2024
Currently: Masters Student at Stanford University
Sevilla worked on optimizing retrograde tracing techniques to label neurons that innervate the lungs. She also contributed to quantifying pain behaviors in lung cancer models. Outside the lab, she is a track and field athlete
