Meet the Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Mark W. Albers
Dr. Mark W. Albers is the Frank Wilkens Jr. and Family Endowed Scholar in Alzheimer's Disease Research and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. His clinical practice at MGH specializes in memory and olfactory disorders. He also attends on the inpatient neurologic wards. He is a core faculty member of the Harvard Program in Therapeutic Science, the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, the Harvard-MIT Center for Regulatory Science, and the McCance Center for Brain Health. He is the Associate Director of the Massachusetts Center for Alzheimer's Therapeutic Science. He served as a member of the Translational Neuroscience subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology. Outside of work, he enjoys running, swimming, water sports, culinary explorations, and music.
Collaborating Faculty
Dr. Alefiya D. Albers
Dr. Alefiya D. Albers is Professor in the Department of Psychology at Endicott College and is a visiting scientist within the Department of Neurology at Mass General. Her research interests include studies of human olfaction as a functional sensory biomarker of changes in brain health in the context of normal aging, acute injury, and incipient neurodegenerative disease. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, art, and music.
Instructors
Dr. Marina Avetisyan
Dr. Marina Avetisyan received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University and her MD/PhD in Neuroscience from Washington University in St. Louis. She then completed adult neurology residency at Mass General Brigham and a Research in Dementia Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is currently an Instructor in Neurology at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School. Her research interests focus on neuroimmune signaling in neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of the lab and clinic spaces, Dr. Avetisyan enjoys chill hiking, gardening and cooking.
Postdoctoral Research Fellows
Benoît Jobin
Currently a research fellow in the Albers Lab, Benoît Jobin joined as a PhD candidate at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières in Canada. His research interests focus on cognitive and cerebral aging, and on the contribution of olfactory testing and neuroimaging to the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases. His work in the Albers lab is on tractography of the olfactory system within early Alzheimer's disease, a neuroimaging technique used to examine potential damage to white matter connections between different brain regions related to the sense of smell. After completing his clinical training in neuropsychology, Benoît plans to research the neuroimaging of different pathologies affecting the brain and olfaction. In his free time, Benoit enjoys playing ice hockey, cooking, and running.
Dr. Sutapa Som Chaudhury
Dr. Som Chaudhury is a post-doctoral researcher at Dr. Albers’s group at the Mass General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School. Before coming to MGH, she was a post-doctoral research fellow at Dr. Scherzer’s lab, at Brigham and Womens Hospital and a visiting fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), USA, respectively. She has experiences in advanced and cutting-edge technologies related to iPSC derived NGN2 cortical neurons including Parkinson’s disease and ALS. Dr. Som Chaudhury graduated with a PhD degree from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, India and her research was focused on drug development against Alzheimer’s disease. In Albers lab, she is pursuing her research on neuroinflammation and repurposing of the drugs for ALS and AD. Outside of research, Dr. Som Chaudhury is very passionate for singing, playing piano and enjoys cooking and reading books.
Dr. Priyanka Sinha
Dr. Priyanka Sinha earned her MS in Genetics before completing her PhD at IIT Kanpur, India, in 2021. Her doctoral research focused on the interplay between autophagy, neuroinflammation, and epilepsy in mouse models. Following her PhD, she investigated the role of GLT-1 in Alzheimer's disease during her first postdoctoral fellowship at MGH. Currently, Dr. Sinha is a postdoc in the Albers lab, where she is dedicated to identifying novel drug targets for ALS and advancing therapeutic options. Outside of the lab, Dr. Sinha enjoys reading books, cooking, and exploring nature with her daughter.
Sasha Mukhija
Dr. Sasha Mukhija, a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at the Albers Lab and neurology resident at the University Hospital of Zurich, is driven by a passion for making meaningful contributions as a clinician-scientist in neurology. After earning her MD from the University of Basel in Switzerland, she broadened her expertise through studies and research at KU Leuven in Belgium and Oxford University in the UK. Her current research focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on Alzheimer’s disease and the study of biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases. In her free time, she enjoys running, playing tennis, and dancing salsa to recharge, while also volunteering for a non-profit promoting brain health in senior communities.
Marie-Laure Charpignon
Marie Charpignon is a postdoctoral research fellow in delivery science and clinical informatics at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. Her work integrates causal inference, statistical learning, and network science to evaluate how pharmaceutical interventions, social policies, and exogenous shocks affect health and behavior, particularly in aging and vulnerable populations. After working as a data scientist at Microsoft Education and completing her MSc at Stanford University, Marie earned her PhD from MIT, where she used electronic health record data to investigate the potential of repurposing antidiabetic and antihypertensive medications for Alzheimer’s disease. She now expands this approach through collaborations with Dr. Albers, emulating target trials for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias using observational health record data from the US and Europe. Outside of research, Marie enjoys hiking, playing tennis, and cooking.
Collaborating Ph.D. Candidates
Laura König
Laura König is a Ph. D. candidate at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, conducting translational research in the Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology at the Harvard Medical School. Within the Albers Lab, Laura works with neuronal cell-based models applying systems pharmacology. Laura received a bachelor's and master's degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the Ludwig-Maximilian's University in Munich. As a trained pharmacist, Laura is intrigued by drug mechanisms and therapeutic approaches to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease and ALS, thus far incurable diseases. Laura is aspiring to understand the underpinnings of the toxic innate immune response triggered by endogenous dsRNA in neurons reported by our lab and translate my findings into treatments during her PhD. Outside of the lab, Laura enjoys reading and playing volleyball with friends.
Research Scientists
Ryan Hamnett
Ryan Hamnett is a Research Scientist with a background in neural circuitry spanning cellular, behavioral, and translational levels. Ryan completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge where he investigated how a small network of neurons in the hypothalamus orchestrates whole-organism circadian (24 hour) rhythms. That focus on intercellular signaling continued during his postdoctoral work at Stanford University, which examined how enteric neurons communicate to regulate digestion. As a member of the Albers lab, his interests include the propagation of prion-like proteins through neural circuits and strategies to prevent that spread in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and ALS. Ryan also applies his training as a scientific communicator to written materials and scientific output in the Albers lab, drawing on experience with publications, grant proposals, outreach and educational content. Outside of research, Ryan enjoys creative writing, gaming, playing guitar, and traveling.
Data Scientists
Colin Magdamo
Colin Magdamo is a data scientist currently working at Harvard Medical School. Colin studied economics and statistics at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where he became interested in the science and art of prediction. He enjoys working at the intersection of epidemiology, data analysis, and machine learning. In his free time, Colin enjoys writing, making music, playing soccer, and photography.
Rohan Bhukar
Rohan is an AI researcher and data scientist at MGB working at the intersection of machine learning, computational biology, and translational medicine. He builds domain‑specific foundation models and custom LLM pipelines to better understand neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, and FTD. His work focuses on making sense of complex, multi‑modal biological data and turning it into insights that can support precision medicine, in‑silico drug discovery, and therapeutic repurposing. Rohan is especially interested in bridging advanced bioinformatics with questions that matter in the clinic. Outside of research, Rohan recharges through running, exploring diverse culinary landscapes, and unwinding with scenic drives.
Dr. Clemens Hug
Dr. Clemens Hug is a research associate in Peter Sorger's lab at Harvard Medical School. During his PhD, Dr. Hug worked with Juanma Vaquerizas at the Max Plank Institute in Germany on what happens to 3D chromatin architecture during early embryo development when transcription activates for the first time after fertilization. He is experienced working with RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data, handles large compound libraries, trains machine learning models, and writes software for various research projects in the lab. At present, Dr. Hug's research focuses on understanding TDP-43 pathology and its implications for drug choice, working with Dr. Mark Albers in in Alzheimer's, immune infiltration during development of ovarian pre-cancer lesions, and the puzzling polypharmacology of kinase inhibitors. Away from the lab, Dr. Hug enjoys rock climbing in Rumney during the summer and playing lots of board games in the winter.
Clinical Research Coordinators
María Serrabella Hernandez
María is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School and serves as the Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) for research projects at the Albers Lab. She earned her Doctor of Medicine in Universidad Europea de Madrid and focuses her work on neurological research. Her background includes hands-on training in ENT procedures, among others, and a Surgical Observership at UPMC. Beyond her academic role, María has broad international volunteering experience in clinical settings across Cameroon and India. Outside of the lab, she enjoys horseback riding, art and reading. She is fluent in Spanish, English, and French.
Catarina Bettencourt
Catarina Bettencourt is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Albers Lab, completing her Master of Science in Biotechnology at Northeastern University (expected May 2026). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with a minor in Data Science, also from Northeastern. Catarina is deeply interested in studying host-microbiome interactions and their implications for neurological disease progression and treatment response. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, and dance, training across multiple street styles and staying active in the Boston community.
Research Technicians
Omer Milstein
Omer Milstein is a research technician in the Albers Lab and a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he earned a B.S. in psychology and biochemistry. He is interested in how neuroimmune signaling contributes to neurodegenerative disease. In the Albers Lab, he helps to coordinate a pilot study on novel diagnostic approaches, develop mouse models of TDP-43 proteinopathy, and establish a drug-screening pipeline in immortalized neurons. In his free time, Omer enjoys surfing in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, and climbing year-round.
Inesh Parikh
Inesh Parikh is an undergraduate student at Northeastern University, currently working as a full-time co-op in the Albers lab. Inesh is majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in data science. He is interested in the molecular pathways of neurodegenerative diseases and dsRNA staining patterns in the brain. In his free time, Inesh enjoys working out, exploring Boston, dancing for his team Nakhraas, and supporting Boston sports.
Sai Jawahar Sangu
Sai joined the Albers Lab as a research technician after graduating from Northeastern University with a Master of Science in Biotechnology. Sai is interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying diseases and identifying potential targets for therapeutic intervention. In his free time, Sai enjoys traveling and exploring new places.
Alumni
Dr. Sourav Chowdhury
Dr. Sourav Chowdhury is currently a NIH Senior Post -Doctoral research fellow at the Shakhnovich Lab at Harvard University and a collaborator with the Albers Lab. Combining theory and experiments, Dr. Chowdhury's research spans in the domain of Evolutionary Biophysics and Systems Biology. His current research focusses on Evolution informed drugs to constrain cellular evolvability and to come up with Evolution-systems guided platforms to demystify intracellular mechanism of actions (MOA) of drugs. With Dr. Albers, Dr. Chowdhury is deploying this pipeline and other evolution-informed strategies to understand the MOA of prospective drugs and associated molecular details for neurodegenerative disease models. Outside of his research, Dr. Chowdhury has been an “Young Musician Scholar” from the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. He received his formal training in Tabla and Harmonica and have worked for multiple films and television assignments.
Daria Komarnitsky
Daria Komarnitsky is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Medical Sciences at Boston University. Daria earned her Bachelor of Science in biology at University of Massachusetts Amherst in May 2022. Daria is passionate about neuroscience and excited to work alongside Dr. Albers as she works on completing her thesis. In her free time Daria enjoys going on adventures with her three-year-old beagle named Rue and playing the piano.
Priyanka Menon
Andreas Runde
A clinical research coordinator in the Albers Lab, Andreas Runde completed his Master of Science in medical physiology at Loyola University Chicago this past May. Andreas earned his Bachelor of Science in Physiological Science at University of California at Los Angeles in May 2022. In his free time, Andreas enjoys hiking, camping, and playing basketball and soccer.
Alysa Alejandro-Soto
A clinical research coordinator in the Albers Lab, Alysa Alejandro-Soto graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez. Alysa’s research interests include understanding and treating neurodegeneration, specifically Alzheimer’s Disease, and increasing Hispanic representation in clinical trials. Outside of the lab, Alysa enjoys exploring the city of Boston and the beaches of Puerto Rico.
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