Ishana Syed
Ph.D. Student
About Me
Ishana joined the neuroscience discipline in 2022. Born and raised in Austin, she attended UT Austin and joined the lab of Dr. Micky Marinelli in the department of neurology, studying novel circuitry and sex differences underlying addiction behavior. Seeking further research experience upon graduation, Ishana joined the Post-Baccalaureate scholars' program at the University of Michigan, where she completed training under the mentorship of the late Dr. Emily Jutkiewicz. In her lab, they frequently discussed the groundbreaking research conducted at , sparking Ishana's interest to return to Texas for her graduate studies. Upon matriculation into the IMBS program, Ishana was certain that she wanted to continue to pursue neuroscience research. At the same time, she witnessed first-hand how neurodegenerative diseases impacted her loved ones. This personal connection and passion for neuroscience research ultimately led to joining the lab of Dr. Lizhen Chen, where she now conducts research investigating how RNA binding proteins contribute to the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease via aberrant alternative splicing of AD-risk genes. In addition, Ishana's protein of interest, CELF2, is also critically involved in neurodevelopment and the onset of phenotypes associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder, leading to her studying CELF2 in the context of both neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration.
Beyond her studies, Ishana is highly involved in extracurricular programs at . She serves as the treasurer for WISDOM, and the director of Basecamp for Enventure--an organization that prepares students for non-academic careers paths. Ishana has also had the privilege of being selected as a 2025-26 Science Mentoring and Development Program scholar, a one-year program that provides students with exclusive mentorship from biotech executives and senior level professionals. Ishana enjoys cooking in her free time and traveling to new destinations to explore the culture and cuisine of the world. Her favorite tv shows are Breaking Bad and Insecure.
Hobbies/Interests
Cooking, painting, traveling
Research Topic
The role of RNA-binding protein CELF2 in alternatively splicing transcripts critical for neurodevelopment and the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's Disease
Post-bac work or other affiliations
Post-baccalaureate scholar at University of Michigan, 2025 SMDP Scholar, Treasurer of WISDOM, Director of Basecamp at Enventure
Education
Bachelor of science in Neuroscience, University of Texas at Austin (2017-2021)
Awards
NRSA Pre-Doctoral Training Award in the Neurosciences (T32), UT Health SA (2023-2024)
Publications
- Xin, L., Syed, I., Zhang, Z., Adhikari, R., Tang, D., Ko, S.H., Liu, Z., Chen, L., “CELF2 promotes tau exon 10 inclusion via hinge domain-mediated nuclear condensation,” BioRxiv, Nov. 3, 2024 (In review)
- Chisholm, A., Sandhu, A., Lyu, X., Wan, X., Meng, X., Tang, N.H., Gonzalez, G., Syed, I., Chen, L., and Jin, Y., “The microtubule regulator EFA-6 forms spatially restricted cortical foci dependent on its intrinsically disordered region and interactions with tubulins,” Cell Reports, Oct. 22, 2024.