Rafa is a Chancellors Fellow with a long-standing interest in neuron-glia interactions. Rafa studied Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Lisbon, and completed his Neuroscience PhD in Prof. David Lyons' lab at the University of Edinburgh in 2015. Rafa's postdoctoral work also in the Lyons lab revealed widespread axonal vesicle fusion in the zebrafish spinal cord, and sparked the interest in non-synaptic neurotransmitter signalling.   

Katy received her BSc and PhD at the University of Aberdeen working with Peer Wulff on neural circuitries underlying behaviour. In 2014, she moved to the Lyons lab in Edinburgh to use zebrafish to study myelinated circuit formation. Katy collaborated with industry and the Edinburgh MS Centre to develop drug screens for demyelination treatments, using zebrafish and human cells. Katy joined the Almeida lab in 2024 to study how neuronal activity regulates myelinated circuits using advanced in vivo imaging techniques.

Inés studied Biomedical Sciences at the University of Manchester, specialising in Neuroscience. She has lab experience in neuropathology and neuropsychopharmacology both in academia and industry. Inés is now a BBSRC EastBIO PhD student aiming to elucidate neuron-specific roles of myelin in both zebrafish and mice, and is developing a common genetic tool to manipulate myelin, in collaboration with the Zoupi lab. 

Phoebe previously studied for a BSc in Neuroscience and an MSc in Integrative Neuroscience. After helping us out as a technician, Phoebe is now a PhD student in the lab working on the paranodal adhesion complex that anchors myelin to the axon, which is necessary for healthy myelination to support functional neural circuits.

Nikolaos studied for a BSc in Biomedical Sciences (Physiology Hons.) at The University of Edinburgh, for a two-year MSc in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience at the University of Tübingen, and completed a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of St. Andrews, investigating ALS neural circuit dysfunction in Drosophila.  Nikolaos joins the lab in September '24 to dissect the molecular mechanisms of axonal neurotransmission. Nikolaos also has a keen interest in biological education, mentoring, and teaching.

After completing her BSc in Biology and MSc in Neuroscience, Sophie pursued her PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen. During her PhD, Sophie unravelled the proteome composition of the myelin sheath in both health and disease and investigated trafficking mechanisms crucial for CNS myelin formation and maintenance. In October '24, Sophie moved to Scotland to join the Almeida lab, where she is exploring the regulatory mechanisms of myelin adhesion during myelin formation and remyelination.

Wei completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at Zhejiang University and University of Edinburgh. Prior to starting her PhD, she worked as a research assistant, and studied the neuronal microtubule organising centre (MTOC) in C. elegans. Wei joined the lab to characterise molecular heterogeneity of motor neuron synapses in vivo. 

Carla is a visiting PhD student from Spain. She received a dual BSc in Biochemistry and in Biotechnology at the University Rovira i Virgili in 2019 and later completed a MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Barcelona. Since 2021, she is pursuing her PhD at the Achucarro Basque Center for Neuroscience and the University of the Basque Country, studying the internalization of myelin in oligodendrocytes. Carla is now undertaking an international research stay in our lab to validate and expand her findings using the zebrafish model.

Annie studied Psychology and Human Resources at the University of Stirling. Her interest in the brain led her to continue her studies in the MSc Integrative Neuroscience programme at the University of Edinburgh. Annie will be joining the Almeida lab for her MSc project investigating mechanisms underlying axonal neurotransmission.