Principal Investigator
Kamran Diba

I am the principal investigator of the Neural Circuits and Memory Lab at the Department of Anesthesiology in the University of Michigan Medical School.
I first became interested in neuroscience while completing my doctoral studies in high energy physics at Brown University, after taking a course in computational neuroscience focused on biophysical modeling of single neurons.
Subsequently I pursued a postdoc in the lab of Christof Koch, using NEURON to compartmentally model noise arising from stochastic ion channels and synapses. The predications were compared to measurements obtained from whole-cell current and voltage-clamp in cultured neurons and pyramidal cells from neocortical slices.
Increasingly, I became interested in how neurons function in the intact brain, embedded in dynamic circuits. In the lab of Gyorgy Buzsaki, I learned to perform large-scale neuronal recordings from the cortex of freely behaving rats, and applied this to the study of sequential activity patterns in the hippocampus.
Now at U-Michigan, we are investigating how neural activity in the brain encodes and stores memories using precise temporal relationships at multiple timescales, and how the underlying neural circuits generate these firing patterns.
Postdoctoral Researchers
Nathaniel Kinsky

I became interested in neuroscience while working as a structural engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area. I decided to enroll at Boston University to study the brain, and my graduate work in the labs of Dr. Howard Eichenbaum and Dr. Michael Hasselmo focused on implementing single-photon calcium imaging in freely moving mice to capture large scale hippocampal neuron activity across weeks.
As a Research Investigator in the Diba Lab, my work focuses on how sleep supports memory consolidation in hippocampal and cortical circuits. I utilize a combination of electrophysiology and calcium imaging techniques to probe whether/how high-frequency oscillations in the hippocampus contribute to long-lasting functional changes in cortical neurons. Recently, Bapun Giri and I showed that sleep loss impairs the hippocampal phenomena of reactivation and replay. I will continue probe how sleep deprivation and Alzheimer’s disease impact interactions between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex supporting long-term memory.
Graduate Students
Rachel Wahlberg

I joined the Neural Circuits and Memory Lab as a neuroscience graduate student in the fall of 2020. Previously, I received my B.S. in neuroscience and B.A. in psychology from Bethel University (MN). At Bethel, I studied hippocampal place cells and gamma oscillations in Adam Johnson’s lab with the intention of understanding mechanisms of memory encoding and retrieval. I went on to research the relationship between prosopagnosia (face blindness) and tone deafness in humans with Sherryse Corrow, and then ended my undergrad experience with a semester abroad at Oxford University studying philosophy and psychology. Following graduation, I worked in Geoff Ghose’s lab at the University of Minnesota studying the visual cortex and attention in macaques.
Here at the University of Michigan, I am studying how the brain segments continuous experiences into distinct episodic memories. I do this through analyzing place cell sequences during navigation and subsequent rest and sleep. This work is done in collaboration with Dr. Lila Davachi at Columbia University with the purpose of harnessing cross-model (rodent and human) perspectives on episodic memory research. I’m also deeply interested in how episodic memory relates to our conscious experience, which has influenced my involvement in the Center for Consciousness Science here at Michigan.
Pho Hale

I joined the Neural Circuits and Memory Lab as a PhD student in Neuroscience in Fall 2021 after working with Dr. Diba during my first-year rotations through the U-M Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS) Program. After graduating with a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Kansas, I did contract-work in Scientific Software Development while studying neuroscience in my free time. In particular, I designed and built a single-electrode EEG headset and a custom tDCS circuit that improved upon the safety of extant designs by monitoring the electrode impedance and dynamically adjusting the applied stimulation voltage. In Spring 2019, I was hired by Dr. Brendon Watson at the University of Michigan (U-M) to engineer and build “digital homecages” for rodent studies that automatically monitor over 50 behavioral metrics for extended periods of time.
In Dr. Diba’s lab, I plan to use the digital homecages and signal analysis of neural recordings to understand how information is encoded and represented in the brain. More broadly, I’m interested in how cognition and ultimately behavior emerges from brain structure and function. I am excited to begin my PhD research by studying how hippocampal place-cell activations during navigation are “replayed” during sleep to understand how new locational information is integrated with existing memories. Outside of research, I am also passionate about increasing inclusivity in academic settings. When I’m not thinking about science, I can be found tinkering with computers, going on road trips, or wandering around in nature.
Brian Kim

I joined the Neural Circuits and Memory Lab as a neuroscience graduate student in the fall of 2023. I graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Washington. As an undergraduate student, I worked with Dr. Jeansok Kim to study the functional relationship between the dorsal periaqueductal gray and amygdala during fear-conditioning behaviors. Additionally, I worked with Dr. Susan Ferguson to study how different cell types in the anterior cingulate cortex contributed to addictive behaviors. Before becoming a graduate student, I worked as a radiology and surgery technician at an orthopedic surgery institution. Additionally, I worked as a research technician in the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Buffalo to study the activity of hippocampal place cells in nonhuman primates during memory formation and retrieval.
At the University of Michigan, I am studying how cell assemblies in the hippocampus organize their activity to support memory consolidation. I utilize a combination of optogenetics and extracellular electrophysiology to understand how the innate circuit differences in the subregions of the hippocampus differentiate their computations to support this phenomenon.
I also enjoy climbing and skiing.
Lab Alumni
Research Associates
David Lyttle
Hiroyuki Miyawaki
Postdocs
Cleiton Lopes
AguiarJahangir Alam
Utku Kaya
Graduate Students
Bapun Giri
Kourosh Maboudi
Laurel Watkins de Jong
Undergraduate Students
Bowen Wang
Alexander Wickstrom
Research Technicians
Laura Ball