
Arun Asok, PhD

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Focus: I’m currently pursuing an MBA and MA in International Relations at Johns Hopkins University, where I’m blending business acumen with a deep understanding of global affairs. ​
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Research Overview: My research background is rooted in exploring how the brain forms memories and processes fear, stress, and trauma using advanced neuroscience techniques (e.g., transcriptomics, optical brain imaging, viral-mediated gene targeting, optogenetics, computational approaches, etc.). This work has led to over 30 publications, some in prestigious journals such as Trends in Neurosciences, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature, and Cell, as well as numerous interviews (e.g., MIT Technology Review, Disney/Nutopia, etc.).
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Professional Background: In addition to human factors consulting at Exponent Inc., I founded Alien Therapeutics Inc. in 2022 - a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative Circular RNA therapies and computational diagnostics. Before that, I served as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin, where I led my own research lab. I completed my postdoctoral training under Nobel Laureate Dr. Eric R. Kandel during my time at the Zukerman Institute at Columbia University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
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Education: I hold a PhD in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Delaware and a BS in the same fields from Temple University. Additionally, I hold professional certificates in Data Science from IBM, Cybersecurity from Google, and AI Engineering from IBM. I am also an Associate Editor at Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience.
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