Tran Chau My Thanh | Neuroscience | Young Scientist Award

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Dr. Tran Chau My Thanh | Neuroscience | Young Scientist Award

Dr. Tran Chau My Thanh, a dedicated researcher at Duy Tan University, Vietnam ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ, holds a medical degree and Ph.D. from Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy ๐ŸŽ“. Her work bridges the gap between clinical medicine and molecular biology ๐Ÿงฌ. With a strong passion for translational research, she focuses on using bioinformatics and genomic tools for early diagnosis and targeted therapy development for diseases like cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders ๐Ÿ’‰. Through CRISPR/Cas9 and RNA networks, she aims to revolutionize patient-specific treatment pathways ๐Ÿš€. Her extensive lab experience, scholarly publications, and ongoing innovations make her a promising leader in biomedical science ๐Ÿ….

Profile

Education ๐ŸŽ“

Dr. Thanh earned her Medical Degree (M.D.) from Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy ๐Ÿฅ and went on to complete her Doctorate (Ph.D.) in the same prestigious institution ๐ŸŽ“. Her education was deeply rooted in both clinical and research training, equipping her with a comprehensive understanding of human health and disease ๐Ÿง . Throughout her academic journey, she focused on genomics, molecular medicine, and biotechnology ๐Ÿ”ฌ. The rigorous curriculum and hands-on exposure in advanced labs trained her in modern diagnostic tools and therapeutic innovations โš™๏ธ. She also mastered computational biology and molecular interactions, forming a solid foundation for her groundbreaking work in RNA regulation and gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 ๐Ÿงช.

Experience ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿซ

Dr. Thanh brings rich experience as a medical doctor and academic at Duy Tan University ๐Ÿซ. Her research career spans multiple roles in molecular diagnostics, bioinformatics, and therapeutic innovation ๐Ÿงฌ. She has led studies on disease biomarkers, participated in international collaborations ๐ŸŒ, and worked extensively with cell lines, recombinant DNA, and next-gen sequencing data ๐Ÿ”. Her proficiency in wet lab and dry lab environments empowers her to integrate experimental biology with computational modeling ๐Ÿงซ๐Ÿ’ป. Alongside mentoring students and publishing SCI-indexed research, she contributes to translational medicine by connecting bench science to bedside applications, helping advance precision medicine for critical illnesses ๐Ÿ’ก.

Awards & Recognitions ๐Ÿ…

Dr. Thanh is a nominee for the Young Scientist Award by the International Cognitive Scientist Awards ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ†. Her impactful work on circular RNAs, miRNAs, and disease biomarker networks has garnered international recognition ๐ŸŒ. Sheโ€™s been acknowledged in high-impact journals for discoveries related to coronary heart disease and cancer diagnostics ๐Ÿ“–. Her scholarly articles are indexed in SCI and Scopus, and she continues to influence the biomedical community through conference presentations, peer reviews, and academic collaborations ๐Ÿค. As a rising figure in molecular biology, her research promises transformative outcomes for early disease detection and targeted therapies ๐Ÿงฌโœจ.

Research Interests ๐Ÿ”ฌ

Dr. Thanhโ€™s research explores circRNA/miRNA/mRNA interactions, protein-protein networks, and gene function analysis ๐Ÿงฌ๐Ÿง . She is driven by the quest to discover novel biomarkers for early diagnosis of complex diseases such as cancer, stroke, and diabetes ๐Ÿ’Š. Her focus includes CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, molecular docking, and simulations for drug discovery and target validation ๐Ÿ’ป๐Ÿงช. She also builds interaction networks to map LncRNA/CircRNA/miRNA/gene/protein-drug relationships, contributing to personalized medicine approaches ๐ŸŽฏ. Through bioinformatics, she decodes gene expression dynamics and immune infiltrations to enable efficient diagnostics and therapeutics ๐Ÿ’ก. Her ultimate goal is to bridge computational biology with translational research for global health improvement ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ’š.

Publicationsย 

1. Hsa_circRNA_0000284 acts as a ceRNA to participate in coronary heart disease progression
by sponging miRNA-338-3p via regulating the expression of ETS1
2. Identification of hsa_circ_0001445 of a novel circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network as
potential biomarker for coronary heart disease
3. Potential diagnostic value of serum microRNAs for 19 cancer types: a meta-analysis of
bioinformatics data

Elsa Pittaras | Neuroscience | Women Researcher Award

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Dr. Elsa Pittaras | Neuroscience | Women Researcher Award

Elsa Pittaras is a Basic Life Research Scientist at Stanford University, specializing in neuroscience, cognition, and sleep research. With expertise in molecular biology, neuroanatomy, pharmacology, and behavior, she has extensively studied decision-making processes in mice. Her research has contributed significantly to understanding sleep deprivation’s effects on cognition and memory in Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease models. She has published multiple papers as both first and last author, showcasing her leadership in neuroscience. Elsa’s goal is to advance research on mood disorders, cognition, and neurochemistry, aspiring to become an independent researcher in the U.S. ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ๐Ÿ”ฌ๐Ÿง 

Profile

Education ๐ŸŽ“

Elsa Pittaras earned a B.S. in Physiology from the University of Caen (2010), an M.S. in Neuroscience from the University of Paris Sud and ENS Cachan (2012), and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Neuro-PSI and the Biomedical Research Unit of the French Army (2016). Her multidisciplinary foundation in biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics from Chรขtelet, Douai (2009) laid the groundwork for her neuroscience expertise. Throughout her education, she focused on decision-making, sleep deprivation, and neurochemical mechanisms in cognition. ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ“š๐ŸŽ“

Experience ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿซ

Elsa Pittaras has been a Basic Life Research Scientist at Stanford University since 2022, focusing on cognitive enhancement in Down Syndrome and Alzheimerโ€™s disease models. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford (2017-2022), investigating sleep and circadian rhythmsโ€™ effects on memory. Previously, she conducted research at the Biomedical Research Unit of the French Army (2016-2017) and completed her Ph.D. at Neuro-PSI. Her career includes internships in neuroscience at Neuro-PSI (2011-2012) and clinical observations at CHU Caen (2010). ๐Ÿ›๏ธ๐Ÿงฌ๐Ÿงช

Research Interests ๐Ÿ”ฌ

Elsaโ€™s research explores decision-making, memory, and sleep in neurodevelopmental disorders. She pioneered the Mouse Gambling Task, revealing individual decision-making strategies. Her Ph.D. identified neurochemical markers of decision-making behaviors and the effects of sleep deprivation. At Stanford, she investigates sleepโ€™s impact on cognition in Down Syndrome and Alzheimerโ€™s models, aiming to improve memory and sleep quality through pharmacological interventions. Her work bridges behavioral neuroscience with neurochemistry to enhance cognitive function. ๐Ÿง ๐Ÿ’ก๐Ÿ›Œ

Awards & Recognitions ๐Ÿ…

Elsa has received prestigious grants, including the Jerome Lejeune Research Grants (2019, 2020), the Fyssen Foundation Research Grant (2017), and travel awards for conferences such as T21RS (2021) and Advances in Sleep and Circadian Science (2019). She was also recognized by the French Society for Research and Sleep Medicine (2014) and received a European Neuroscience Federation travel award (2016). ๐Ÿ…

Publicationsย 

  • Selectively Blocking Small Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ Channels Improves Cognition in Aged Mice.

  • Short-term ฮณ-aminobutyric acid antagonist treatment improves long-term sleep quality, memory, and decision-making in a Down syndrome mouse model

  • Behavioral and Neuronal Characterizations, across Ages, of the TgSwDI Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease.

  • Inter-individual differences in cognitive tasks: focusing on the shaping of decision-making strategies

  • Handling, task complexity, time-of-day, and sleep deprivation as dynamic modulators of recognition memory in mice

  • Enhancing sleep after training improves memory in down syndrome model mice

 

Grit Hein | Social Neuroscience | Best Paper Award

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prof. Grit Hein | Social Neuroscience | Best Paper Award

 

Universitรคt Wรผrzburg, Germany

Profile

Education

She studied Psychology at Humboldt-University in Berlin, Germany, and City College in New York, USA, completing her diploma in 1999 with a grade of “very good.” She earned her doctorate in 2002 at the Max-Planck-Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig and Humboldt-University in Berlin. Her academic and professional career progressed through various prestigious positions. In 2002, she began as a research associate at MRC Cambridge, UK, and the University Hospital Frankfurt/M. She then received a DFG-Research Stipend in 2006, conducting research at the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of Berkeley, USA. In 2008, she was awarded the Society-in-Science Stipend and became a Principal Investigator in an independent research project at the University of Zรผrich, Switzerland. She completed her habilitation and obtained her Venia Legendi in Psychology at Goethe-University Frankfurt/M. in 2014. She later served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bern, Switzerland, in 2015. In 2017, she was appointed as a Heisenberg Professor at JMU Wรผrzburg, where she continued to advance her research. In 2021, she became a Professor of Translational Social Neuroscience at JMU Wรผrzburg and a Steering Committee Member of the Research Training Group RTG 2660, working alongside Professor Dr. Matthias Gamer in Psychology.

Work experience

Since 2024, she has served as the President of the European Social and Affective Neuroscience Association (ESCAN) – Special Interest Group Social Neuroscience and as the spokesperson for the Neuroscience section at the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS), JMU. Previously, from 2021 to 2024, she held the position of Vice President of ESCAN. Since 2022, she has been a board member of the China-Competence Center at JMU, and since 2021, she has been an Executive Board and Steering Committee Member of the Research Training Group RTG 2660. Her engagement in the research system extends further, as she has been a board member of ESCAN since 2019 and a member of the mentoring program for young female scientists at UKW, JMU. Additionally, she holds a double affiliation with both the Medical Faculty and the Faculty of Human Science at JMU. Since 2018, she has contributed as a panel member of the Hillary Green Research Fund at the University of Birmingham, a standing member of the dissertation committee at UKW, JMU, and a member of the Degree Subject Committee of the Elite Graduate Program in Translational Neuroscience at JMU. She has also supervised numerous early-career researchers, including Anne Saulin, who completed her PhD in 2023 with magna cum laude and is now a DFG postdoctoral fellow at the University of Birmingham, UK; Marthe Grรผndahl, who also earned her PhD in 2023 with magna cum laude and is now a consultant at Bain & Company; and Dorothee Bruch, who obtained her MD in 2022 with magna cum laude and is currently practicing as a gynecologist.

She has received several prestigious academic distinctions throughout her career. In 2023, she was honored with an award for her extraordinary contribution to teaching by the Medical Faculty and the President of JMU. In 2015, she was awarded the Heisenberg Fellowship by the German Research Foundation, recognizing her outstanding research achievements. Earlier in her career, she received the Branco-Weiss Fellowship from ETH Zรผrich in 2008 and the Emmy-Noether Fellowship from the German Research Foundation in 2005, both of which supported her innovative research endeavors.

Publication