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Bryan MacLennan

Research Associate III

Bio:

Bryan grew up in Massachusetts where he completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Neuroscience at Northeastern University. He joined the Allen Institute for Brain Science in 2015 to work with Soumya Chatterjee, investigating the circuit origins of visual response properties such as orientation tuning and direction selectivity. He performed 2-photon guided electroporation experiments in mouse visual cortex and imaged the visually evoked activity of monosynaptically-restricted networks traced with a modified rabies virus. In 2023, Bryan transitioned to the Optical Physiology group at the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics where he is performing fiber photometry experiments to systematically evaluate genetically encoded fluorescent sensors used to image neuromodulators and neurotransmitters. Bryan is especially interested in single neuron computation and how populations of cells encode sensory and behaviorally relevant information across hierarchical stages of processing. In his free time, he enjoys bouldering, hiking, playing violin, spending time with his partner, Alex and their 90-pound greyhound, Moose.