John Assad, Program Director
John originally hails from Buffalo, NY, and has spent much time abroad with his family in Italy. Himself a graduate of PiN, he is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the program. John loves partnering with students on program development and is committed to ensuring that every student is receiving the individual support they need in order to thrive. He’s always available for a chat! His lab focuses on understanding how the mammalian brain bridges sensation and action, such as in decision making and movement initiation. He is also co-director for PiN’s first-year core course, the Discipline of Neuroscience, faculty instructor for the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology (HST) program, and director of the education arm of the Bertarelli Program in Translational Neuroscience and Neuroengineering at HMS. Outside work, John can be found fishing, paddling, hiking, or biking with his family around New England, walking the family dog, or sojourning in their home away from home in Italy. More.
Chinfei Chen, Associate Director
Chinfei's research aims to understand the mechanisms that underlie synaptic plasticity in the developing and mature mammalian central nervous system, using a combination of tools, including electrophysiological, in vitro and in vivo optical imaging methods, along with genetically altered mouse strains, optogenetics and pharmacogenetics to examine the regulation of synaptic circuits in the visual system. More.
Susan Jackson, Program Administrator
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Susan’s a Midwesterner at heart. She joined PiN in May 2020, after three years at HMS working in admissions, curriculum, and web content development, and prior to HMS in public relations, editing, and early childhood education. She completed a Master’s in English at King’s College, London, focused on music & literature (war literature in particular) in 2001, and lived in London for almost a decade before moving to Boston in 2009. Outside work, she devotes most of her time and energy to her two children, rescue pups Colby & Shiloh, and various and sundry culinary endeavors and backyard projects. To recharge, she enjoys road biking, four-season hiking, yoga, running, white water & sea kayaking, choral singing, and dancing to live music! Susan provides a first point of contact for the program, strives to ensure PiN students receive all the programmatic support they need in order to thrive both personally and professionally, and is dedicated to fostering a culture of health & wellness and a welcoming, inclusive environment in PiN and across the broader Harvard graduate community.