The passion and dedication of the Watt lab members make our lab an exciting place to do science! Meet the team below!
Alanna Watt
Associate Professor and PI
Email me: alanna.watt@mcgill.ca
Alanna completed her PhD at Brandeis University, MA, USA in the Turrigiano lab studying homeostatic synaptic plasticity. She then moved to UCL in London, UK where she studied cerebellar development in the Häusser lab. Alanna started her own lab at McGill in 2011, focusing on cerebellar development and plasticity in both healthy brains and in animal models of disease. She is former interim Chair of the Biology Department at McGill, and will be Chair of the Gordon Research Conference on the Cerebellum in 2025. In her free time, Alanna likes to cook, read, and spend time in nature.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Eviatar Fields
Postdoctoral fellow
Email: eviatar.fields@mail.mcgill.ca
After working with aging subjects during his undergraduate project at York University, Eviatar became fascinated with the aging brain. He joined the Watt lab in 2017, initially as an MSc uncovering the little-known role of the cerebellum in aging, before fast-tracking to a PhD. His PhD thesis is focused on the role of Purkinje cells in age-related motor decline in the hopes of devising new treatments to improve mobility in the elderly. Outside of the lab, Eviatar can be found running, working on his podcast or making YouTube videos!
Postdoctoral fellow
Sophia Leung
Email: sophia.leung@mail.mcgill.ca
Sophia has been studying the pathophysiology of spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6), with specific focuses on the disease progression and selective vulnerability in the cerebellum. She used an array of methods including bioinformatics, electrophysiology and histology to uncover disease features. In her spare time, you’d find her walking her cat (yes) and practicing French.
Amy Smith-Dijak
Postdoctoral Fellow
Email: amy.smith-dijak@mail.mcgill.ca
After completing a BSc in Neuroscience at McGill in 2013, Amy moved to Vancouver to do a PhD at the University of British Columbia. There she studied impairment of cortical homeostatic plasticity in Huntington disease. She handed in her thesis in 2019 and returned to Montreal to continue studying homeostatic plasticity in neurodegenerative diseases, now focusing on Purkinje cells. She hopes that studying these processes will give us a better understanding of how neural circuits can be resilient in the face of degeneration.
Brenda Toscano-Márquez
Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate
Email: brenda.toscanomarquez@mail.mcgill.ca
Brenda completed her PhD in Biology from McGill University, studying the action of neuromodulators in the electrosensory system in weakly electric fish. For her postdoctoral research, she joined the Watt lab, where she is using her training in electrophysiology and molecular techniques to study the pathophysiology that underlies the onset of ARSACS in the hope of gaining better insights into developing treatments for this disease.
Graduate Students
Rana Abdelhalim
PhD Student
Email: rana.abdelhalim@mail.mcgill.ca
Rana is passionate about studying motor function, control, coordination, and learning (all things to do with motor movement!). She is interested in exploring how these motor aspects are affected in disease, such as in SCA6, and investigating the mechanisms underlying their dysfunction. Rana’s passion for motor function arose from her work on assessing forelimb motor impairment and recovery post-stroke during her MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Ottawa. In 2023, Rana excitedly joined the Watt lab to study potential therapeutic strategies to rescue motor deficits and reduce cerebellar pathology in SCA6.
Atchaya Kanagasabai
co-supervised MSc Student
Email: atchaya.kanagasabai@mail.mcgill.ca
Atchaya graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology and Therapeutics from McGill. She is now a graduate student co-supervised by Dr. Alanna Watt and Dr. Anne McKinney. Atchaya was first exposed to neuroscience when she joined a neuropharmacology lab in May 2022 during her undergraduate studies. Her current research interest is investigating mitochondrial dysfunctions in the rare disorder Christianson Syndrome in hopes of better understanding the molecular mechanism causing ataxia. Outside the lab, Atchaya enjoys trying food from different cultures, watching crime movies and travelling.
Dalia Kozak
MSc Student
Email: dalia.kozak@mail.mcgill.ca
Dalia obtained her B.A. in Psychology in McGill University in 2022 before she decided to switch paths and go into neuroscience, inspired by the classes she has taken as an undergraduate student. She has always been fascinated by the brain, especially neurodegenerative diseases such as ataxia, and knew from a younger age that she wanted to pursue a career in the field. She joined the Watt Lab in 2024 as a M.Sc. student in Neuroscience (IPN), and is currently working on understanding the role of the Rhomboid 3 protein in the aging cerebellum. Outside of the lab, Dalia enjoys drawing, reading or spending time with her friends in her free time.
Megan Liu
PhD Rotation Student
Email: megan.liu@mail.mcgill.ca
After obtaining her BSc in Neuroscience at McGill University, Megan moved to Vancouver in 2021 to complete her MSc in Neuroscience in Dr. Kiran Soma’s lab at the University of British Columbia. During her master’s, Megan used an operant wheel running task to study the motivation to exercise in rats. In 2023, Megan returned to McGill as a PhD rotation student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN), and she is particularly interested in studying how activity at the neural circuit level affects behaviour in health and disease. Outside of the lab, Megan enjoys hiking, karaoke, and discovering new restaurants and cafes around the city.
Ben Rogers
PhD Student
Email: benjamin.rogers2@mail.mcgill.ca
After completing his BSc. in Nutritional Biochemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Ben moved to Montreal in 2021 to complete his MSc. in Neuroscience at the Université de Montréal studying hippocampal synaptic plasticity and stress. Ben joined the Watt lab as a PhD student in 2023 and will be investigating the role of circadian clock genes in cerebellar health and disease. Outside of the lab, Ben enjoys playing tennis, volleyball and enjoying the extremely warm summers and extremely cold winters in Montreal.
Bruna Soares de Souza
PhD Student
Email: brunasoares.souza@mail.mcgill.ca
Bruna had her first contact with neuroscience during her undergraduate in Biology when she joined a research lab. There she learned about and became fascinated about neurodevelopment. Bruna then pursued her MSc. in Neuroscience in the same lab working with an animal model of ADHD. In 2021, Bruna joined the Watt lab to continue studying neurodevelopment. Bruna is interested in understanding the mechanisms underlying axonal modifications in cerebellar development.
Julia Tourbina-Kolomiets
co-supervised PhD Student
Email: julia.tourbina-kolomiets@mail.mcgill.ca
Julia obtained her B.Sc., Hons. in Pharmacology and Therapeutics at McGill in 2023. She became fascinated by neuroscience following undergraduate courses and started studying the cerebellum during her undergraduate Honours project. Currently, she is a MSc student in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, co-supervised by Dr. Alanna Watt and Dr. Anne McKinney. Her project focuses on investigating the molecular mechanisms behind selective Purkinje cell death in Christianson Syndrome and ARSACS to hopefully find therapeutic targets for these disorders. Besides research, Julia enjoys reading (especially detective novels), spending time outdoors and travelling.
Research Assistants
Chanelle Lawson-Lartego
Research Assistant
Email: chanelle.lawson-lartego@mail.mcgill.ca
Chanelle is a graduate student in Public Health at McGill University. She joined the Watt lab in May 2023 and since then she has been doing research on Autosomal Recessive Spastic Ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS). She analyses images of mice cerebellum slices to observe the abundance of Calcium channel 3.1 on torpedoes present on Purkinje cells’ axons. When not in the lab, she can be found enjoying Montreal’s free festivals, spending time with friends or family, or learning new braiding styles and techniques.
Lab Manager
Heika Silveira
Lab Manager
Email: heika.silveiravillarroel@mcgill.ca
Undergraduate Students
Alyssa Abou-Chakra
Undergraduate student
Email: alyssa.abouchakra@mail.mcgill.ca
Alyssa is an undergraduate student currently studying Biology, with a minor in Neuroscience. She’s been enamored by the brain and its many nuances for years, and joined the lab in the fall of 2023 to study the expression pattern of the ApoE4 protein in ataxic (ARSACS) mice. Outside of the lab, she can be found bouldering, crocheting, and exploring Montréal.
Chavy Dworkind
Undergraduate student
Email: chavy.dworkind@mail.mcgill.ca
Chavy is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts and Science in cognitive science with a keen interest in neuroscience. She volunteers at the Watt Lab contributing to research related to ARSACS. Specifically, she is working on measuring the axon initial segments of Purkinje cells in mice to determine if there is a difference in length between those of the anterior and posterior vermis. Chavy enjoys resistance training, mountain climbing, and discovering new ways to cook.
Zoe Dubin
Undergraduate student
Email: zoe.dubin@mail.mcgill.ca
Zoe is an undergraduate student studying Philosophy at McGill University. She joined the Watt lab to develop her interest in neurological research, and has been helping in the identification of differences in the ARSACS Purkinje cell. When not in lab, Zoe is most likely drawing or reading for philosophy classes.
Tristan Lemonnier
Undergraduate student
Email: tristan.lemonnier@mail.mcgill.ca
Tristan is an undergraduate student completing a BA in Psychology, with a minor in Chemistry . He joined the lab at the end of the 2023 fall semester to study neurofillament accumulation in Purkinje cells for ARSACS disease. This summer, among other things, he’s doing some behavioural with ARSACS mice. Outside the lab, he can be found running around Mount Royal or trying out all the restaurants on St Catherine near Concordia.
Alexander O’Neill
Undergraduate student
Email: alexander.oneill2@mail.mcgill.ca
Alexander is an undergraduate student studying Anatomy and Cell Biology at McGill University. He joined the Watt Lab in 2023 to follow his interest in neurological diseases. Outside of the lab, he can be found playing tennis and Risk, or making too many cue cards.
William Mattana dos Santos
Undergraduate summer MITACS Globalink student
Email: will.mattanadossantos@gmail.com
William is currently an undergraduate student studying Biomedicine at the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil. To pursue his interest in neuroscience, he joined the Watt lab in the summer of 2023. Here he is working to characterize the subcellular basis of axonal modifications. Outside the lab, he can be found running or exploring Montreal.
Élyse Zadigue-Dubé
Undergraduate student
Email: elyse.zadigue-dube@mail.mcgill.ca
Elyse is currently an undergraduate student studying Neuroscience at McGill University. She has always been fascinated by nervous system development, its related diseases, and neurodegeneration. During the summer of 2022, she completed a research project looking endosomal pathway of Purkinje cells in spinocerebellar ataxia 6 (SCA6). Now, she is working on her honours project, which consists of assessing potential therapeutic treatment to improve motor deficits in SCA6. Outside of the lab, Elyse enjoys running, cinema, and discovering new musical artists.
Watt Lab 