Christine Grienberger

Christine Grienberger is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Brandeis University, with affiliations in the Volen National Center for Complex Systems and Neuroscience Program. Her research focuses on synaptic, cellular, and circuit-level mechanisms of learning and memory using the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit as a model system.

Her educational background includes:

• Dr. med. from Technical University Munich, Germany
• Ph.D. from Technical University Munich, Germany
• Postdoctoral training at HHMI Janelia Research Campus & Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Grienberger's lab employs two-photon Ca²⁺ imaging, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, and optogenetic perturbations in awake mice to investigate how experience-dependent changes shape neuronal computations. Key research areas include dendritic function in neural coding, formation of hippocampal representations, and early Alzheimer's disease impacts on circuit function. Her work bridges molecular mechanisms with behavioral outcomes in spatial learning paradigms.

Analysis of her publication history reveals a consistent focus on hippocampal place cells, synaptic plasticity mechanisms, and dendritic computation. Recent work increasingly addresses Alzheimer's disease models, showing how amyloid-beta disrupts neuronal activity prior to neurodegeneration. Her methodology combines cutting-edge imaging with computational approaches to decode neural representations.

Major scientific awards include:

• NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (2023-2028)
• McKnight Scholar Award (2025-2028)
• Pew Scholar in Biomedical Sciences (2023-2027)
• Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2023-2025)
• Smith Family Awards Program (2022-2026)

Dr. Grienberger actively recruits undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers, emphasizing an inclusive lab environment that welcomes diverse scientific backgrounds. Her NIH- and foundation-funded research leverages Brandeis' core facilities for advanced microscopy and computational analysis. Current projects include investigating synaptic plasticity mechanisms in learning, computational modeling of hippocampal networks, and Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology.

The Grienberger lab operates within Brandeis' collaborative neuroscience community, utilizing the Volen Center's resources for interdisciplinary research. Her team maintains strong technical expertise in in vivo imaging and electrophysiology, with ongoing collaborations across neuroscience, physics, and computer science disciplines to address fundamental questions about neural computation.