Matthew Parnian joined the Allen Institute in 2026 and currently works as a Research Associate in the Brain Science accelerator. His current work includes developing and optimizing TurboID-based proximity labeling strategies to study proteins from defined neuronal and glial populations in the mouse brain. Through this work, he contributes to projects focused on understanding the molecular diversity of brain cells using approaches that combine cell-type specific labeling, fluorescence imaging, and proteomics.

Before joining the Allen Institute, Matthew completed his M.Sc. in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia in the lab of Dr. Kurt Haas, where he studied how genetic variants affect protein interaction networks. His thesis work used proximity labeling and mass spectrometry-based proteomics to investigate PTEN, a gene important in cell signaling and disease biology. During his time at UBC, he also contributed to projects involving ACE2 variants, functional studies of human disease mutations, and live imaging of neuronal development in Xenopus tadpoles.

Prior to his graduate studies, Matthew earned his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia. His broader interests include neuroscience, proteomics, molecular biology, and using experimental and computational tools to better understand how biological systems function.