Brain Exploration Day was a great chance for us to open up the doors at MPFI and share our science with the South Florida community! Thank you so much to everyone who came to explore brain research with us 🧠 🧪

Like the conductor of an orchestra, the neurotransmitter GABA avoids disruptive ‘noise’ by balancing excitation with inhibition ✨ Tian Lab members Nikki Tjahjono, @yu-shun.bsky.social & I wrote about the latest tool to measure this balance in @elife.bsky.social: elifesciences.org/articles/111...

I recently had the pleasure of visiting @upenn.edu & the University of Illinois Chicago to present our latest results developing glutamate sensors that can image multiple neurochemicals 🔬✨ This work helps us understand collective neurotransmitter release during synaptic transmission.

New work from @mattbanghart.bsky.social’s team identifies the brain circuitry responsible for placebo pain relief 🧠 These findings can lead to better pain management strategies in humans, including alternatives to addictive painkillers. Read more: today.ucsd.edu/story/neurob...

Join us this summer for discussions about how neural circuits operate under normal conditions & disease states, with specialized workshops & hands-on experience ✨ Registration & abstract submissions open through May 1. All career stages welcome! Learn more: cncm.medschool.uci.edu/2026-cncm-co...

Taking my chance to highlight my amazing lab members for Graduate Student Appreciation week ✨ The lab depends on your curiosity, persistence, and resilience to solve tough questions & drive our research forward. Your hard work is noticed. I'm grateful for all you do! #GradStudentAppreciationWeek

Nikki Tjahjono’s PhD work is out as a @cellpress.bsky.social preview in @ssrn.bsky.social! With @isacofflab.bsky.social, we introduce iHaloGluSnFR, the first red-shifted chemigenetic glutamate sensors, optimized for simultaneous imaging with neuromodulators. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Looking back on 2025, I’m proud of all we accomplished as a team. But more than that, I'm proud of the growth, the laughter, and the support we gave one another along the way. Grateful for this team and a year of shared moments big and small. Happy holidays from the Tian Lab 💜✨

We had such a great time celebrating Tian Lab student Nikki Tjahjono’s successful PhD defense last week! Over the past six years, it has been a privilege to work with Nikki and watch her grow into an exceptional scientist, mentor, and community builder. Congratulations, Dr. Tjahjono! 🎓🎉

In @thetransmitter.bsky.social's 2025 State of Neuroscience Report, @lintianphd.bsky.social shares her perspective on 3 three topics: - Multidisciplinary research - The future of training - Impacts of funding cuts on neuroscience education Explore her insights: bit.ly/4pPi3s9

@thetransmitter.bsky.social's portrait of the state of neuroscience presents a great opportunity to look back & reflect as we come toward the end of 2025. I'm quoted alongside leaders in the field as we reflect on the current challenges & hopes for the future: www.thetransmitter.org/state-of-neu...

Thanks to @nature.com for featuring our work in this piece on genetically-encoded sensors. The article does a great job highlighting their importance for both basic research and translational impact, such as in our lab's research on serotonin. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The Tian Lab is headed to San Diego for @sfn.org #Sfn25! Proud to have Postbac Fellow, Landon Lee representing us this year––if you’re attending, be sure to stop by his poster to hear more about the science we've been developing this year! ☀️🧠

How has the way we study neural coding and dynamics changed? At the recent @lakeconferences.bsky.social hosted by @alleninstitute.org I was able to share ideas and research with others working toward new experimental & computational methods for studying these dynamic systems over time.

This week is the 16th Annual National Postdoc Appreciation Week, and we couldn't be prouder of our postdocs in the Tian Lab! ✨ Our postdocs drive forward research, plan and lead projects, mentor students, present and publish work, and much more. I am grateful for you every day! #NPAW2025

Thinking about attending Sunposium 2026? The early bird registration deadline is September 19th. Curious what makes this conference so special? Our video will give you a glimpse: buff.ly/2FuGjgO Join us March 9–11, 2026, in sunny South Florida. Find more information at buff.ly/zn5aS2b

The brain has complex dynamics that give rise to a range of states & behaviors. 🤔 How do we study this complex system? In my lab’s work, we design and optimize biosensors to measure brain activity at the molecular level.

I attended the first ever Neurobiology of Psychedelics GRC last month. I was impressed by how interdisciplinary the field is, from molecules to humans. We are just starting to understand the mechanisms of these drugs and how they can unlock future treatments. #GRCPsychedelics

Congratulations to our three wonderful interns who joined us in the Tian Lab this summer, working on optimizing our PsychLight methodology to screen for potentially therapeutic compounds with similar mechanisms to psychedelics. www.mpfi.org/high-school-...

The Tian Lab looks forward to welcoming high school students each year as a part of @mpfneuro.bsky.social's summer internship program! We’re thrilled to have Olivia & Nicole join us this summer and to be part of their journey as they explore what a future in neuroscience can look like.

I recently spoke about my lab's newest sensors at @embl.org‬'s European Light Microscopy Initiative meeting 🔦 🧠 Sharing progress with the community is key to moving science forward, which is why these sensors, and all our tools, are open source ➡️ www.lintianlab.org/research#tools

What a joy to celebrate Nikki, Yihan & Kiran at @ucdavis.bsky.social commencement 🎓 As Chancellor May said, the world needs minds like yours more than ever & I’m so excited to see the impact you’ll make in the years ahead. Congratulations on this incredible milestone!

📆 Mark your calendars: #OptoGRC2026 is headed back to Tuscany, May 10-15, 2026! We look forward to reuniting with our amazing community for a week of great science, thoughtful discussions & shared time with colleagues. More details coming soon👇🏽 tinyurl.com/esvrabsu

Our next #InterfaceNeuroGT session highlighted cutting-edge techniques for measuring and manipulating sensorimotor and cognitive behavior — across species and across scales. Sponsored by McCamish Parkinson's Disease Innovation Program and chaired by @drannabellesinger.bsky.social.

Know an exceptional early-career independent scientist? Nominate them for the Peter Gruss Young Investigator Award, honoring outstanding contributions to the scientific community through collaboration, creativity, and curiosity-driven research. Please share! mpfi.org/pgyia

It's #MentalHealthAwareness Month. At MPFI, Dr. Lin Tian's team is uncovering changes in brain signaling in conditions like depression by developing tools to visualize neurotransmitters in real-time. This work brings us closer to improved treatment of mental health challenges. buff.ly/LguhgQU

The new @maxplanck.de Postdoc Program platform is now open for its first ever round of applications! If you're looking for a new research opportunity, check out the full list of open positions👇🏽 postdocprogram.mpg.de/node/3

Last week was #GradStudentAppreciationWeek – a chance to celebrate and thank the incredible Tian Lab students who move our science forward 🧑🏽‍🔬👩🏻‍🔬 Your creativity, focus & determination in the face of big questions inspire me every day, and I am so grateful to learn alongside you.

A warm welcome to all of the students, faculty and sponsors who have traveled from around the world to join us at the 2025 Advanced Neurotechniques Course! We couldn't imagine a more exciting way to kick off the course than with a fantastic keynote lecture from Nobel laureate Stefan Hell!

On Monday, @patrick-cramer.maxplanck.de, President of @maxplanck.de, shared a powerful message at @germanyinusa.bsky.social about the importance of partnership between the USA and Germany — built on our shared core values of excellence, integrity, openness, and freedom 🇺🇸🇩🇪

Proud to have had our Senior Research Scientist, Kwun Nok Mimi Man, represent the Tian Lab at #CSNeuroMet2025 in Shenzhen! She presented our new FLIM sensor—compatible with both fluorescence and lifetime imaging, enabling deeper, more versatile measurements of dopamine dynamics in vivo 💡 🧠

Since we began tracking in 2023, we've shipped over 170 biosensor samples to research teams across 4 continents! #OpenScience is a core value of the Tian Lab & we're proud to contribute by making our tools globally accessible 🌎🔬 🔗 Requests: lintianlab.org/research#tools

If you are at @cellpress.bsky.social “Neurometabolism in health and disease”, don’t miss hearing about a new red-shifted dopamine sensor compatible with both fluorescence and lifetime measurements developed by Kwun Nok Mimi Man from @lintianphd.bsky.social lab! Poster P.38, 1:30 – 3:30 Tuesday.

Thank you to @thetransmitter.bsky.social for highlighting some of the latest breakthroughs in photometry! As these systems continue to improve, the technology becomes more efficient, affordable & accessible, and unlocks the potential for new discoveries about the human brain 🧠

Did you catch our CEO and Scientific Director, Dr. David Fitzpatrick, on South Florida PBS's (@southfloridapbs.bsky.social ) "On the Town in the Palm Beaches" with Frank Licari? Check out the interview to learn more about MPFI's work! ➡️ to.pbs.org/4leYRm1 (Dr. Fitzpatrick's segment starts at 11:00)

Excited to join this incredible lineup on April 2 to discuss how the Brain Coast Alliance is working to advance brain health right here in South Florida 🧠🌴 Looking forward to sharing our progress & discussing @mpfneuro.bsky.social's role in driving innovation! Register: tinyurl.com/24jfa3wf

The Tian Lab had the honor of bringing Dr. Stefan Hell to thebenjaminschool.org last week as part of @mpfneuro.bsky.social's #AskMax program! We had a blast engaging with 80+ fourth-graders, answering their big questions & showing them that anyone can be a scientist 🔬✨ 🔗 bit.ly/3XS96T5

Local 4th graders got a big STEM surprise as Nobel Prize-winning researcher @stefanhelllabs.bsky.social joined their class, along with MPFI Scientific Director @lintianphd.bsky.social Thank you to all the future scientists as well as the Benjamin School for hosting our Ask Max team! buff.ly/g58OfWD

Investing in science is investing in the future. We’re driving discoveries that will transform our approach to brain health and these breakthroughs rely on continued support. #StandUpfForScience2025

Last weekend, @mpfneuro.bsky.social hosted our annual Max Brain Challenge—a day for local students to visit & get a first-hand look at how exciting neuroscience can be 🧠✨ Special thanks to the J&S Pew Family Fund for making this event possible! See the full recap: bit.ly/4b2XH8l

Grateful to have had the opportunity to kick off 2025 with talks at UCLA & @salkinstitute.bsky.social! Returning to California can be bittersweet, but it's always a treat to share our latest work with the amazing science community there—and take in the beautiful West Coast views ☀️🧠

Registration for the 2025 @mpfneuro.bsky.social Neurotechniques Course closes this Wednesday! Co-directed by Ryohei Yasuda & @denisejcai.bsky.social and led by an amazing team of experts, this hands-on course is a great opportunity to learn cutting-edge methods in neuroscience 🔬🧠

Earlier this year, @lintianphd.bsky.social joined us to talk about herself & her work on novel optical & molecular tools that can help us characterize neural signaling & find new treatment targets for neuropsychiatric disorders. www.peoplebehindthescience.com/dr-lin-tian/ #YearInReview #scicomm 👩‍🔬 🧠📈

As we wrap up another great year, the annual Tian Lab retreat was the perfect opportunity to reconnect, reflect on our successes & spend quality time together as a team 🌟 Feeling grateful for all we’ve achieved this year and looking forward to all that’s ahead in 2025!

Last week, I had the pleasure of sharing our latest work at the Stanford Biology Seminar Series 🔬✨ It was wonderful to meet faculty and trainees—special thanks to Shannon Yan for hosting and the Department of Biology for making it such a fun & engaging visit!

The Tian Lab had a blast conquering an escape room last week! 🧩🕵️ Teams “Deep Seaquencing” & “Uncaging Me” faced off to practice teamwork & problem-solving skills. Breaking up the routine with activities like this strengthens our group and elevates our science!

Looking forward to the 2024 Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience meeting at UNC this week 🧠 🔬 Especially excited to give a talk alongside such a talented group of scientists. Check out our session on Wednesday @1:30pm!

Excited to share my episode on People Behind the Science! 🔬🌟 I had a wonderful conversation with @phdmarie.bsky.social about my lab’s work, future research directions & reflections on my career journey. www.peoplebehindthescience.com/dr-Lin-Tian/

Thrilled to share our new and improved dopamine sensors, dLight3.6 and dLight3.8. They offer enhanced signal-to-noise to enable robust DA recording across brain regions. We’re excited to share this new innovation with our community. Order yours ⬇️ unc-neurotools.org/lin-tian-lab...