Economo lab

Michael N. Economo, PhD                        mne@bu.edu

Mike is a Greek-Canadian southerner who grew up in North Carolina.  Mike got his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University and Boston University and completed postdoctoral training at HHMI’s Janelia Research Campus.  Mike enjoys biking, basketball, and photography in his free time – despite being mediocre at all of them – and loves the outdoors.  Mike was voted by his lab “most likely to get rid of his smartphone and go back to using a flip phone.”

Maria ‘Vicky’ Moya, PhD                    mvmoya@bu.edu

Vicky was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Boulder, CO and Austin, TX.  Vicky completed her undergraduate degree in Neurobiology at The University of Texas and her PhD at the Rockefeller University in Neuroscience.  Vicky is an aficionado of coffee, Star Wars, breakfast tacos, and was voted by her peers “most likely to show up at your doorstep with soup when you’re sick.”

Yujin Han, PhD                                            yujinhan@bu.edu

Yujin was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. He earned B.S. in biology and Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Seoul National University. He joined the Economo lab to understand how the brain controls movements so flexibly. Outside the lab, he enjoys spending time with his wife and baby daughter.

Munib Hasnain                                    munibh@bu.edu

Munib is a native of Houston, TX and received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston.  Munib is an avid basketball player and was voted by his peers “most likely to sleep through an earthquake.”

Jaclyn ‘Jackie’ Birnbaum                     jackieb1@bu.edu

Jackie grew up on Long Island and graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience.  Jackie is an avid outdoorswoman and can often be found kayaking on the Charles.  Jackie was voted by her peers “most likely to survive the zombie apocalypse.”

Jack Vincent                                           jackv@bu.edu

Jack grew up in California and North Carolina, and has a BS in Biomedical Engineering from UNC Chapel Hill and a MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arizona. He enjoys jazz, reading (and talking) about World War 2 and old American presidents, playing badminton, and doing the New York Times crossword. Jack was voted by his peers “most likely to become internet famous.”

Will Cunningham                                williamc@bu.edu

Will is an easy-going, music(al) loving nerd. After receiving dual degrees (Mathematics and Computer science) from University of Rochester, he worked for two years as a software developer at Epic Systems. Realizing he was too intellectually curious to work solely as a programmer, he joined GPN (Graduate Program for Neuroscience) in 2021. His current goals in the Economo lab are to investigate and better understand the mechanisms that control plasticity, including dopamine, in the motor cortices. Outside of his professional life he loves rock climbing, hiking, sharing music, playing board games and geeking out with passionate people. Will was voted by his peers “most likely to be a superhero.”

Tudor Dragoi                                        tdragoi@bu.edu

Tudor grew up in Houston, Texas and completed his undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at Brandeis University. After graduating from Brandeis, Tudor joined the lab of Mriganka Sur at MIT as a research associate for 3 years. At Boston University, Tudor is a PhD student and part of the graduate program for Neuroscience. Outside of science, Tudor enjoys soccer, cooking and traveling. Tudor was voted by his peers “most likely to break a world record.”

 Juan Luis Ugarte Nunez                                jugarte@bu.edu

Juan Luis is curious and willing to put in the legwork to explore the sciences. After working as an undergraduate in the Boas lab and getting his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, he wanted to get more involved with real-world experience in the field. Neuroscience sparked his interest, and he’ll strive to learn all he can through his work in the Economo Lab. Professional and academic matters aside, he’s an avid fan of naps and reading along with enjoying an innumerably long list of other miscellaneous activities.

 Dylann Palmer                                  dylannp@bu.edu

Dylann grew up in Albany, New York and is a sophomore studying Biomedical Engineering. In his free time, Dylann enjoys playing the saxophone, tennis, video games, solving New York Times puzzles, and exploring Boston with friends.

 Sam Krick                                              samkrick@bu.edu

Sam was born outside Chicago and grew up around the Midwest, before moving out to the Northeast. He is currently a senior majoring in Neuroscience and joined the Economo Lab to investigate the motor and premotor circuits of the brain stem. In his free time, Sam loves to play basketball and listen to music, and is always up for some outdoor activities, especially if it involves a mountain.

 Meron Nephtalem                            mnephtal@bu.edu

Meron is a sophomore studying biology with a concentration in neurobiology, on the pre-med track. She hopes to do an MD/PhD program after receiving her undergraduate degree. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, writing, and playing lacrosse. She is also a classical music enthusiast and an avid Harry Potter fan.