Maryam Majeed
Scientist I
Maryam joined the Allen Institute in 2023 as part of the Barcoded Connectomics team, where she studies how cell types map to projection patterns across developmental and evolutionary timescales. Before joining the Institute, Maryam received her Ph.D. in the laboratory of Oliver Hobert at Columbia University. There, she used the genetically-amenable nematode C. elegans to study the expression, function, and plasticity of adhesion molecules in the context of wiring specificity in a compact but complex nervous system. In parallel, she developed an image analysis pipeline and resources for high-throughput, in vivo interrogation of synapses in C. elegans.
research focus
At the Allen Institute, Maryam seeks to advance her understanding of overarching wiring principles, this time using the visual system of mice and non-human primates as models. She will be using largescale sequencing-based neuroanatomical methods to delineate 1) how cell types in the developing mouse visual system relate with projections, and 2) how these projection patterns compare across evolution. By doing so, Maryam hopes to characterize putative gene combinations and perform systemic perturbations, followed by sequencing-based phenotyping, to understand wiring principles. Along the way, Maryam will work on improving techniques to scale sequencing-based connectomics.
