The Team

Silvio Macias, Ph. D.

Principal Investigator

Silvio graduated from the University of Havana with a B. Sc. in Biology. He then earned his Ph. D. in Biology in the lab of Emanuel C. Mora at the same institution.  After a Humboldt Foundation Fellowship in the lab of Manfred Koessl at the Goethe University Frankfurt, he pursued postdoctoral training in the labs of Cindy Moss, at Johns Hopkins University, and Michael Smotherman, at Texas A&M University. He recently joined Virginia Tech as an Assistant Professor in the School of Neuroscience.

Shriya Panta

Undergraduate Researcher  

Shriya is senior majoring in Computational and Systems major and minor in Human-Computer Interaction. 

Aidan Fishenden 

Undergraduate Researcher 

Aidan is a Clinical Neuroscience and Psychology double major from Ashburn Virginia, currently completing his senior year and expecting to graduate in spring of 2024. In addition, he is a fourth-year member of the Marching Virginians, where he plays the clarinet.