Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab

Lab Chief: Alexander Chesler, Ph.D.

Dr. Chesler was recruited to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intramural pain program in 2013 as a Stadtman Investigator and became a senior investigator in 2020 with joint appointments in the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Among his achievements within the intramural program, Dr. Chesler has received two DDIR (Deputy Director of Intramural Research) Innovation Awards for his work on pain, a Bench-to-Bedside award focused on the use of natural products to treat mechanical allodynia, a Helping to End Addiction Long-term^® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative^®-funded collaboration with NCATs to discover new treatments for chronic pain, and has helped to establish the NIH Pain Research Center in the NIH Clinical Center. 

Melanie Falgairolle, Ph.D., Staff Scientist

Melanie Falgairolle, Ph.D., is a staff scientist in the Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab. 

Nima Ghitani, Ph.D., Staff Scientist

Nima Ghitani, Ph.D., is a staff scientist in the Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab. He can be reached at nima.ghitani@nih.gov or 301-443-7388.

Rakshita Balaji, Postbaccalaureate Fellow

Rakshita Balaji is a postbac IRTA research fellow in the Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab. In 2023, Rakshita earned a B.S. in cellular, molecular, and physiological neuroscience and high honors in biology from the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). While at UMCP, Rakshita conducted research in the lab of Dr. Melissa Caras, where she studied auditory perceptual learning in Mongolian gerbils and defended her senior thesis. Previously, she was an intern in the Keller Laboratory of Sensory Perception at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine, where she worked under Dr. Jason Alipio to investigate the effect of perinatal fentanyl exposure on somatosensory development in mice. Broadly, Rakshita is interested in mapping neural circuits that support sensory perception using interdisciplinary approaches in systems neuroscience. Aside from research, Rakshita enjoys teaching and participating in science outreach. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience.

John Locke, Predoctoral Fellow

Donald Iain MacDonald, Ph.D., Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow

Donald Iain MacDonald, Ph.D., is a visiting postdoctoral fellow in the Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 2015 with a B.A. in cell and systems biology, and then earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience from University College London in 2020, supervised by Professor John Wood. His doctoral research used in vivo imaging to explore nociceptor function in different pain states. In 2020, he was a postdoctoral scientist at the University of Zurich in Professor Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer's lab, where he worked on spinal serotonin signaling. He came to the National Institutes of Health in 2021 and is currently investigating the neuropeptide and circuit mechanisms that control pain and its modulation in the brain. He is broadly interested in neuroethology and linking the function of molecules with behavior. His work is supported by an EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Branco Weiss Fellowship. He can be reached at donaldiain.macdonald@nih.gov.

Caitlin Madden, Ph.D., Post-baccalaureate IRTA Research Fellow

Caitlin Madden is a post-baccalaureate IRTA research fellow in the Section on Sensory Cells and Circuits. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2023 with a degree in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. During her undergraduate studies, Caitlin studied event-related potential data from EEG's to research a potential biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease. At NIH, Caitlin’s research focuses on exploring chemical activation of PIEZO2 through techniques such as calcium imaging and electrophysiology. Her work aims to contribute to the research necessary for developing therapeutics for sensory disorders. Following her post-bac, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical neurosciences.

Maximilian Nagel, Ph.D., Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow

Max Nagel, Ph.D., is a visiting postdoc fellow in the Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab. He can be reached at max.nagel@nih.gov or 301-435-5517.

Gloria Ogordi, B.S., Postbac NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) Award Recipient

Gloria Ogordi is a postbac NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) award recipient. In 2023, Gloria earned a B.S. in biological sciences and a minor in French language from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC). While at UMBC, Gloria conducted research in the lab of Dr. Laurie Sutton, where she studied the molecular and neural circuit mechanisms of Kappa opioid receptors and defended her senior thesis. Currently, she is researching the functional and behavioral aspects of whisking in mice, focusing on the role of Piezo2. Gloria is interested in the neuroscience of pain and sensory perception and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. 

Caroline Pierotti, Postbac IRTA

Jonathan Seaman, B.S., M.Sc., Predoctoral Fellow

Jonathan Seaman, B.S., M.Sc., is a predoctoral fellow in the Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab as well as a graduate student through the Johns Hopkins Graduate Partnership Program. In 2018, Jonathan obtained a bachelor’s degree in physiology and neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego. Jonathan completed his master’s degree in neuroscience in 2019 under Dr. Liam Browne; his work explored the effect of stimulating specific peripheral sensory populations to avoidance behaviors. In 2021, he joined the Sensory Cells and Circuits Lab where he is currently investigating the participation of thalamic populations in pain perception and behaviors. He is generally interested in how pain is encoded throughout the brain and how affective and spatial information is integrated. He can be reached at jonathan.seaman@nih.gov.