Neuroscience Institute Leadership | NYU Langone Health

About the Neuroscience Institute Neuroscience Institute Leadership

Neuroscience Institute Leadership

The leadership team at the Neuroscience Institute supports collaborative research programs within NYU Langone and in the larger NYU academic community.

Neuroscience Institute Administration

Our directors and administrators endeavor to meet the needs of our research teams. Their strategic decisions ensure that the Neuroscience Institute remains a leader in the field.

Paul Glimcher, PhD, Director

Dr. Glimcher is the director of the Neuroscience Institute, the Julius Silver Professor of Neural Science, and chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology. Dr. Glimcher is considered one of the foremost researchers in the study of human behavior and the neurobiological foundations of decision-making. He is credited with playing a central role in the creation of neuroeconomics, which bridges neuroscience, psychology, and economics to understand human decision-making. His work was also central to the development of computational psychiatry. Learn more about Dr. Glimcher.

Heather McKellar, PhD, Executive Director

Dr. McKellar is the executive director of the Neuroscience Institute and the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology. She works with our director, faculty, and administrative team to execute the Neuroscience Institute’s mission, with an emphasis on promoting world-class research, education, and synergistic interactions among NYU neuroscientists.

Yessica Alcantara, Executive Assistant

Ms. Alcantara serves as Executive Assistant to Dr. Glimcher. She also provides administrative support to some of the labs in the Neuroscience Institute and supports faculty recruitment.

Rihan Hassad, MPH, Senior Project Coordinator

Ms. Hassad works with Dr. McKellar and Dr. Stower to execute and enhance the Neuroscience Institute’s community engagement priorities through the coordination of scientific events and educational and outreach programs with the aim of generating collaboration and fostering innovation within the NYU neuroscience community. She has a master’s in public health (MPH) with a concentration in policy and community health education from the School of Public Health at the City University of New York (CUNY).

Desiree Oliveras, Project Assistant

Ms. Oliveras works closely with Dr. Wasserman to provide administrative support for the graduate and postdoctoral programs at the Neuroscience Institute. She also works with Ms. Hassad to support events as part of the engagement mission of the institute.

Lesly Rodiles Perez, Administrative Assistant

Ms. Rodiles Perez provides administrative support for the Neuroscience Institute and its laboratories. She also supports operations initiatives and the lab managers group.

Gabriela Serrano, Administrative Manager

Ms. Serrano provides administrative support for the Neuroscience Institute and its laboratories including maintaining day-to-day Genotyping Core operations and managing the Research Associates Program. She is also responsible for all HR-related tasks. Ms. Serrano came to us as an internal hire from the Rinberg Lab, where she served as a research associate and lab manager for several years.

Hannah Stower, PhD, Assistant Director of Education and Engagement

Dr. Stower provides strategic and administrative support for the Neuroscience Institute education and community engagement programs, including the Neuroscience Outreach Group at NYU. Dr. Stower received her PhD from the University of Birmingham in genetics, where her work focused on the role of histone modifications at the Hoxb locus. Before joining the Neuroscience Institute, she served as an editor for Nature Reviews Genetics and Nature Medicine before joining the Research Development and Implementation team at the Office of Science and Research at NYU Langone.

Holly Wasserman, EdD, OTR/L, Program Manager

Dr. Wasserman manages education and outreach programs including graduate training, the postdoctoral program, and the Leon Levy Fellowship Program in Neuroscience. She came to us with many years of administrative and higher-ed experience as the program director for a well-established Graduate Occupational Therapy program. She received her EdD in educational leadership from the University of New England and her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Boston University.

Airena Yates-Merilus, MS, MBA, Assistant Director of Research Operations

Ms. Yates-Merilus is Assistant Director of Research Operations and oversees all administration, research support and operations, and faculty affairs. She is also on the Administrative Core for the U19 grant led by Dr. Tsien, where she works closely with Dr. Tsien and the department administrator to coordinate all aspects of faculty affairs.

Research Administration and Finance Management

Support for grant submissions, post-award management, and finance management is done in conjunction with Sponsored Research Operations. For questions regarding pre-award support, please contact our grants team at NIResearch@nyulangone.org. For questions regarding postaward and financial management, please contact our finance team at NIFinance@nyulangone.org.

Graduate Training Program Leadership

Our dynamic graduate training program is led by faculty and staff who are passionate about mentoring a new generation of neuroscientists.

Niels Ringstad, PhD, Graduate Program Director

Dr. Ringstad, professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology is the director of the graduate studies for the neuroscience and physiology graduate program. He is also the co-director of molecular neurobiology program, part of the core neuroscience curriculum. His research investigates neuropeptide signaling, biogenic amine-gated channels, and behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. Learn more about Dr. Ringstad.

David Schoppik, PhD, Graduate Program Advisor

Dr. Schoppik, associate professor in the Neuroscience Institute, is the program advisor for the graduate program in neuroscience and physiology. He the studies the development of neural circuits involved in balance. Learn more about Dr. Schoppik.

For general questions, please contact neuroscience.institute@nyulangone.org.