Alicja Puscian PhD

Alicja obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Nencki Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw) in the laboratory of Ewelina Knapska. Currently, she is a postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Michael Higley at the Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, where she has been studying the role of different neuronal classes in the control of visually guided behavior. Her main scientific interest lies in elucidating neural underpinnings of learning and behavioral flexibility. To that end, following her postdoctoral training, she is aiming to become a leader of a laboratory specializing in behavioral neuroscience.

In the course of Alicja's career, she has been involved in numerous student- and science-related organizations. Her most valuable experience was as the Chair of the Ph.D. Students Council, a national body advocating for the graduate students of the Polish Academy of Sciences, a position to which she was elected twice. At Yale, Alicja has been a member of the Yale Postdoctoral Association (YPA), a coordinator for the YPA Professional Development Committee in 2018, and a creator of the inspirational Podcast for Yale Postdocs.