Biological Image Annotator

Alice is a Medical Neuroscience MSc. student at Charité University in Berlin. While studying, she became intrigued in cell biology and how its building blocks create life. Connectomics is a field that uncovers the intricate networks and pathways that compose a brain’s architecture. The mapping of neurons and their connections on platforms like Flywire has developed into an exciting passion of hers. She aspires to contribute to the field of connectomics, and generally to our understanding of how neural circuits give rise to cognitive functions and behaviours.

Research Assistant

Borja is a biologist from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, specialising in neuroscience. In recent years, he has developed a deep interest in the pathophysiology of human brain diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases. During his training, he studied synaptic degeneration in Alzheimer's disease using hyperresolution techniques in human brain samples. This research experience allowed him to develop skills that he is now applying at Aelysia, in the field of microscopy, image processing, and annotation.

Scientist

Ruairí is a scientist at Aelysia with a background and interest in evolutionary neuroscience. He has extensive experience in the reconstruction of neuronal circuits using both CATMAID and Neuroglancer, analysis of connectomes, and neuromorphological analysis using R and Python. He previously worked for the Drosophila Connectomics group in Cambridge and recently completed his PhD in the Prieto-Godino lab based at the Francis Crick Institute.

Scientist

Helen is a scientist at Aelysia and a postdoctoral research fellow at University College London. She has extensive experience in patch clamp electrophysiology, alongside epifluorescence, confocal and two-photon fluorescence microscopy of calcium indicators, neurotransmitter biosensors and optogenetic constructs. Helen has contributed, as both a scientist and an editor, to high-impact publications in synaptic neuroscience. At Aelysia, she specialises in data analysis and in editing of scientific manuscripts.

Scientific Advisor

Alex is a research fellow at Harvard Medical School and the University of Oxford. During his PhD at the University of Cambridge, he developed informatics tools and datasets for connectomics. As a research fellow, he is following up connectome-derived neurobiological hypotheses in the wet-lab. He advises on Aelysia projects and helps mentor our image annotators in connectomics and neurobiology.

Business Advisor

Alberto has a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Oxford and a Master in Management Science from Tsinghua University, where he studied as a Schwarzman Scholar. He has extensive experience in preclinical and clinical neuroscience research and has worked as a scientist across sectors, in academic research, policy-making, and business. He advises Aelysia on matters of business development and management strategy.

Founder and CEO

Laia, with a background in neuroscience and literature, coordinates and provides specialised technical support to researchers. Expertise: data annotation, manuscript editing, training and management. Key institutions: UCL, ETH, UZH, Oxford University, Cambridge University, and Roche Pharmaceuticals.