Madelen Diaz

Dr. Díaz is a behavioral and molecular neuroscientist with extensive research and mentorship experience. Her postdoctoral research investigated molecular mechanisms underlying glial cell death after traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis. For her doctoral research, she investigated the neuronal circuitry underlying circadian rhythms using the fruit fly Drosophila as a model organism.

Currently, she is a full-time instructor in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program and a Faculty Member of Nu Rho Psi, the national honor society in neuroscience. She has a long-standing passion for teaching, service, and mentorship. She received the Outstanding Teaching Fellow Award in the Life Sciences at Brandeis University, and more recently completed the Teaching Academy at the University of Miami. In the lab, she has closely mentored 18 PhD candidates, Master’s students, and undergraduate trainees. She created the Developmental Neuroscience course at FIU and is excited to expand additional course offerings to the BN program. Her goal is to inspire, mentor, and effectively teach the next generation of neuroscientists.

Education

· Postdoctoral Fellowship, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL

· PhD in Neuroscience, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

· BS in Psychobiology (with Honors), University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

· AA in Biology, The Honors College at Miami Dade College, Miami, FL

Courses Taught

· Developmental Neuroscience

· Intro to Biopsychology

· Sensation and Perception

Selected Publications

Díaz MM, Tsenkina Y, Arizanovska D, Mehlen P, and Liebl DJ. 2023. DCC/netrin-1 regulates cell death in oligodendrocytes after brain injury. Cell Death Differ 30, 397-406. PMID: 36456775.

Tapanes S*, Arizanovska D *, Díaz MM, Folorunso O, Harvey T, Brown S, Graciolli-Cordeiro J, Jagad JR, Wolosker H, Balu D, and Liebl, D. 2022. Inhibition of glial D-serine release rescues synaptic damage after brain injury. Glia 70(6), 1133-1152. PMID: 35195906.

Tsenkina Y*, Tapanes S*, Díaz MM, Titus D, Gajavelli S, Bullock R, Atkins C, and Liebl DJ. 2020. EphB3 interacts with initiator caspases and FHL-2 to activate dependence receptor cell death in oligodendrocytes after brain injury. Brain Communications 2(2), fcaa175. PMID: 33305261.

Díaz MM, Schlichting M, Abruzzi K, Long S, and Rosbash M. 2019. Allatostatin-C/AstC-R2 is a novel pathway to modulate the circadian activity pattern in Drosophila. Current Biol. 29, 1–10. PMID: 30554904.

Guo F, Holla M, Díaz MM, and Rosbash M. 2018. A circadian output circuit controls sleep-wake arousal in Drosophila. Neuron 100(3), 624-635. PMID: 30269992.