Christian Cazares, PhD

Christian Cazares, PhD has a diverse range of work experience in various research roles. Christian'smost recent role is as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where they are studying the role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in representing social ranks and the regulation of social dominance behaviors during social competition.

Prior to this, Christian worked as a Project Consultant at Polygence, where they mentored students on passion projects in neuroscience and data science. Christian helped students develop research questions, analyze data, and interpret and share their results. Christian also provided insights on pursuing a career in academic research.

Christian also served as a Faculty Advisor at InGenius Prep, where they developed and organized a course focused on cognitive neuroscience. Christian taught students essential research, writing, and critical thinking skills and guided them in understanding the scientific method through academic research.

Before their postdoctoral position, Christian completed their Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego. Christian'sresearch focused on understanding the neural mechanisms underlying decision-making processes and the effects of chronic alcohol exposure on these processes.

During their time as a Post-Baccalaureate Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, Christian contributed to studies on inter-ictal epileptic patient iEEG data and animal models of depression and anxiety. Christian used computational approaches and Matlab programming skills to analyze data and detect potential epilepsy-related biomarkers. Christian also investigated the efficacy of neurotransmitter receptors for clinical therapeutics.

Christian gained research experience as a Research Assistant at UC Berkeley, where they assessed motor inhibition during action preparation and measured coricospinal excitability using trans-cranial magnetic stimulation. Christian also worked as a Peer Advisor, providing guidance to undergraduates interested in research and representing the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP) at outreach events.

In addition, Christian has held roles as an SAT Teacher at People's Test Preparation Services (PTPS), a Research Assistant at the Greater Good Institute (Berkeley), and a Research Assistant at UCSF, where they contributed to studies on sensory gating, brain stimulation, and selective attention during multitasking.

Overall, Christian Cazares's work experience showcases their expertise in neuroscience, data analysis, research mentoring, and academic instruction in the field of cognitive neuroscience.

Christian Cazares, PhD, completed a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley. This academic achievement occurred between 2010 and 2014. Christian then pursued further education and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Systems Neuroscience from UC San Diego, which spans from 2016 to 2022.