Meet Our Team
Geoffrey Swanson, PhD
Director
Geoff Swanson, Professor in Pharmacology, serves as the Director of NUIN. He previously served as the NUIN Associate Director, as a faculty advisor, and member of the TGS NUIN Review committee. Geoff’s lab studies physiological processes mediated by glutamate, the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter, in the vertebrate central nervous system.
Contact Me:
- 312-503-1052
- Chicago: Lurie 8-119
Daniel Dombeck, PhD
Associate Director, Evanston Campus
Dan Dombeck, Associate Professor in Neurobiology, serves as the Associate Director in Evanston. He previously served as the co-Chair of the Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience Concentration Area and Qualifying Exam Committee. Dan's lab studies mammalian spatial navigation and spatial memory.
Contact Me:
- 847-467-0475
- Evanston: Pancoe 2-409
Gregory Schwartz, PhD
Associate Director, Chicago Campus
Greg Schwartz, Associate Professor in Ophthalmology and Neuroscience, serves as the Associate Director in Chicago. He previously served as the Chair of the NUIN Admission Committee and as a member of the NUIN Advisory Board. Greg’s research program focuses on circuits in the retina and the early visual system in mice.
Contact Me:
- 312-503-7503
- Chicago: Tarry 5-733
Jena Pitman-Leung, PhD
Assistant Director
Jena Pitman-Leung is a NUIN Alum (2007 graduate) who has worked as a Drosophila neurobiologist, sleep and career development consultant, and academic administrator. Please refer to Jena for:
- Program activities and budget
- Advising: Rotations and laboratory questions/concerns
- Student groups, admin contact (except NUBAO, see Cassandra)
- TGS and NUIN policies, NUIN Handbook
- NUIN Curriculum
- TA assignments
- If you’re not sure who to ask
Zoom Office hours are Monday, 3:00-4:00pm
Contact Me:
- Evanston: 847-467-4246
Chicago: 312-503-4308
- Evanston: Hogan 2-171
Chicago: Morton 1-645
Stephanie Pociask, PhD
Senior Program Coordinator
Stephanie Pociask is a NUIN Alum (2017 graduate) who has studied prion folding in neurodegeneration, and has worked in student career development and support. Please refer to Stephanie for:
- Classes and registration
- Rotation requirements
- Milestone and related paperwork including committee meetings, seminar requirement, graduation planning etc
- GSTS data entry
- Scheduling of thesis proposal and committee meetings (the Program Assistant does not schedule these meetings)
Zoom office hours are Thursday 1:00-2:00pm
Contact Me:
- 847-491-5033
- Chicago: Morton 1-645
EV: Hogan 2-171
Ben Rice
Financial Coordinator
Ben Rice recently joined NUIN and has a background in finance and computer science. He loves the outdoors and spending time with his dog.
Please refer to Ben for:
- Everything finance (NUIN, NUIN administered T32, PREP)
- Reimbursements
- Awards, including thesis proposal awards, travel awards, NTF
- Charges on student accounts
Zoom office hours are Wednesday 11:00-12:00pm
Contact Me:
- 847-491-5033
- Evanston: Hogan 2-171
Melissa Moore
Program Assistant
Melissa received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Universidad Autónoma del Caribe in Colombia. She previously worked as an Administrative Assistant for the President of the Colegio San Jose. She joined NUIN in November of 2021.
Please refer to Melissa for:
- Room/Zoom booking
- Website questions
- Listservs
- NUIN@
- General inquiries
Contact Me:
- 312-503-4300
- Chicago: Morton 1-645