top of page
Leadership
LEADERSHIP
Avatar 86

P. Ellen Grant, MD

Director of FNNDSC

Staff Clinician

Kaethe Beutler, MD Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Grant is a Kaethe Beutler, MD Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School. She is the founding Director of the Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC), holds the Boston Children’s Hospital endowed chair in Neonatology and serves as a clinical Neuroradiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Grant founded the FNNDSC in 2009 to develop and optimize tools and analysis streams for better detecting and understanding both normal and abnormal brain physiology and development. The primary end goal is to provide mechanistic information that enables optimization of cognitive, behavioral and neurological outcomes in children with a focus on fetuses, neonates, infants and toddlers. Three modalities being developed in the center are Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS). She leads a team of MR physicists and engineers doing pulse sequence development and novel MR imaging analysis. Her team build a novel pediatric specific MEG system that is now FDA approved and provides clinical services for presurgical evaluation of infants and toddlers with epilepsy. She is also a pioneer of frequency domain NIRS (FDNIRS) and diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) which provides bedside measures of cerebral blood flow and oxygen consumption. To support the computational needs of complex data analysis, her team has developed a sophisticated computational infrastructure in collaboration with RedHat to facilitate and support deep-learning approaches on large datasets as well as real time data analysis. The FNNDSC currently has over 60 members with 17 faculty and at least 7 postdoctoral students. Dr. Grant is a Senior Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) and sits on the Board of Scientific Counselors for National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. She was selected to present the Mansfield Lecture at the ISMRM in 2020 and in 2021 she was recognized by the American Society of Neuroradiology with the Outstanding Contributions in Research Award.
Avatar 86

Rudolph Pienaar, PhD

Technical Director of FNNDSC

Staff Scientist

Assistant Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School

Dr Pienaar completed a Bachelors and Masters in Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Engineering at the University of Pretoria in Pretoria, South Africa and holds a Doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from Cleveland State University/Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he conducted research in Reinforcement Learning applied to musculo-skeletal bio-mechanical control systems. He completed postdoctoral work at the Massachusetts General Hospital where he was an Assistant in Medical Imaging and is currently Faculty in Radiology at Boston Children's Hospital and an Assistant Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School. Dr Pienaar's research interests include brain surface feature analysis, tractography-from an-informatics perspective, cloud computing, image visualization, and system design. At the FNNDSC, he leads the Advanced Computing Group, responsible for the developing new informatics infrastructure solutions to clinical problems. He is the main technical lead on the ChRIS platform that brings research computing solutions closer to clinical front lines.
FACULTY
Faculty
Avatar 86

Borjan Gagoski, PhD

Research Associate

Assistant Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School

Borjan Gagoski received his PhD in 2011 from the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lab at the EECS department at MIT. His early research included the implementation of time-efficient encoding schemes for spectroscopic imaging on Siemens MR platforms. After spending one year as a postdoctoral associate in the same MIT lab, he joined Dr. Grant's lab in January 2012. He is currently an Instructor of Radiology at BCH. His main role in the lab as Chief MRI physicist is to help move numerous MRI projects forward by always making sure that the newest MR technical developments are being applied for research and clinical neonatal and fetal scans. More links to: Website - ResearchGate
Avatar 86

Pei-Yi (Ivy) Lin, PhD

Director of FNNDSC NIRS Program

Staff Scientist

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School

Pei-Yi (Ivy) Lin is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and faculty in the Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics at Boston’s Children’s Hospital. She has a PhD in Biomedical Engineering with expertise in the development and clinical application of near-infrared spectroscopy and diffuse correlation spectroscopy techniques. Her current research focuses on cerebral oxygen metabolism development and its association with neurodevelopmental outcomes in premature infants with intraventricular hemorrhage as well as with infants with neonatal brain infection and post-infectious hydrocephalus in low and middle income countries. More links to: Website ResearchGate
Avatar 86

Yangming Ou, PhD

Research Associate

Associate Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School

Yangming Ou is an Associate Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School. He holds a PhD degree in Medical Image Analysis and an MS degree in Applied Mathematics, both from the University of Pennsylvania. His BS degree was in Electrical Engineering (Biomedical Engineering Division) from Tsinghua University. His research interest lies in the intersection of big data, machine learning, data science, imaging informatics, and healthcare. His team focuses on improving healthcare by medical image analysis, machine learning and imaging informatics. One pillar is the development of innovative medical image analysis and image machine learning algorithms and software tools. The other pillar in Dr. Ou's team is the clinical applications, with collaborations with experts in neurology, neonatology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiation oncology, nutrition, radiology, informatics, and other fields.
Avatar 86

Ai Wern Chung, PhD

Associate Scientific Research Staff

Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School

Ai Wern Chung is a computational neuroscientist at FNNDSC with particular interest in MRI connectomics – the study of the brain as an inter-connected network to understand its functional and structural organization in relation to development, ageing or a disease. She is a recipient of a joint American Heart Association and Children’s Heart Foundation Fellowship to identify neuroimaging markers of altered brain structure in adults with congenital heart disease using her novel network theoretical models of energy propagation. After majoring in Computer Science, Dr. Chung went on to obtain a Ph.D. in medical physics in neuroimaging at London’s UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in the UK. Ever interested in translating advanced brain MRI techniques for the clinic, she has held several research posts in hospital affiliated institutes. These include the Stroke and Dementia Neuroimaging Unit at St. George’s University of London, and the Biostatistics group at the Centre for the Developing Brain at King’s College London. Her research work in previous labs include validation of diffusion MRI models through to their development and application on ageing cohorts, and network theoretical analysis on premature neonates. At FNNDSC, Dr. Chung continues to devise novel methodologies for connectomes to describe system changes in brain organization, and has applied these to MRI studies on children with Autism, concussion, and 16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome. Research aside, she enjoys the outdoors, a good hike and looks forward to the day she can run in the woods with a pet dog.
Avatar 86
Publications

Mohammad Arafat Hussain, PhD

Research Associate

Instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School

Mohammad Arafat Hussain is an Instructor at the Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC) at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He obtained his PhD and MASc in Biomedical Engineering from the University of British Columbia in Canada, as well as his MSc and BSc in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology. His research focuses on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to medical image analysis, computational biology, and personalized medicine. Dr. Hussain develops novel AI models to analyze medical imaging data, with a specific interest in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. His work involves integrating phenotype and genotype data to predict neurocognitive outcomes and exploring biomarkers of premature brain aging in adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease.
POSTDOCS & FELLOWS
Avatar 86

Aleksandra Ulman, PhD

Research Fellow

Aleksandra is a Research Fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She obtained her MSc in Molecular Biotechnology from Jagiellonian University, followed by a PhD in Medical Science at Jagiellonian University Medical College, where she investigated the transcriptional regulation of skeletal muscle development using pluripotent stem cells. After completing her PhD, Aleksandra worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Virginia, studying biomolecular condensates biology. Currently, she focuses on the role of the chromatin remodeler CHD7 in congenital heart diseases in Dr. Morton’s lab.
Publications
Avatar 86

Marcia Harumy Yoshikawa, MD

Research Fellow

Harumy Yoshikawa is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC) at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She holds a Medical Doctor degree from the University of São Paulo Medical School, Brazil, and previously interned at FNNDSC as a student in 2024. At the FNNDSC, Harumy works with Dr. Ivy Lin on the investigation of radiological predictors of surgical and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants with hydrocephalus.
Publications
Avatar 86

Stefanie Perrier, PhD

Research Fellow

Stefanie Perrier is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Fetal Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC) at Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She obtained her HBSc in Chemistry and Biology from Lakehead University, followed by her PhD in Neuroscience from McGill University in Canada. Her doctorate research focused on the study of rare inherited white matter diseases called leukodystrophies. She investigated the clinical features, molecular genetics, and disease mechanisms associated with POLR3-related hypomyelinating leukodystrophy, specifically exploring a novel severe form of the disease. She also gained expertise in genetic data analysis through investigation of patients with genetically undiagnosed hypomyelinating leukodystrophies. Her current neuroscience research interests have expanded from “nature” (i.e., genetics) to include the study of “nurture” (i.e., environment) and the associated impacts on children’s brain development. At the FNNDSC, her research focuses on understanding how nutrition and other factors affect early neurodevelopment, assessed using multi-modal brain MRI analysis techniques.
Publications
Avatar 86

Andrea Gondova, PhD

Research Fellow

Andrea is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC) at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She obtained her MSc in Bioinformatics from University of Edinburgh in 2018, followed by a 2-year work experience as a Machine Learning and Data Science Graduate Scientist at AstraZeneca. She then received her PhD in Neuroscience from Université Paris Cité. Her doctoral research performed at Neurospin, CEA, focused on the analysis of multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, including assessment of structural and functional connectivity as well as gray matter microstructure, to characterize developmental trajectories in preterm and full-term born infants. Presently, Andrea works with Dr. Kiho Im, focusing on developing methods for processing and analysis of fetal brain MRI, particularly for investigations into dynamic morphological patterns of cortical development in both healthy and atypically developing populations.
Publications
Avatar 86

Navaneethakrishna Makaram, PhD

Research Fellow

Navaneethakrishna Makaram is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. He received his Master’s and Ph.D. from the Department of Applied Mechanics Biomedical Engineering Group at Indian Institute of Technology Madras. In his Ph.D. studies, he worked on the experimental characterization of muscle fatigue using Surface Electromyography signals and Nonlinear Signal Processing Methods. He was a short term scholar at Drexel University and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where he worked on the assessment of Muscle Coordination during Frontal Car Crash in the Pediatric population. He was also a research trainee at the Montreal Neurological Institute with Prof. Jean Gotman and worked on the development of automated tools to characterize the various seizure onset patterns in Intracranial EEG. After his Ph.D., he was a Senior Project officer at the Center of Excellence in Medical Device Regulations and Standards. His research interests include Biomechanics, Biomedical Instrumentation, Signal Processing, Machine Learning and Medical Device Regulations and Standards. He has more than 30 articles published in reputed journals and conferences. In honor of his research work, he has been awarded RWTH Aachen – AROP, TU Darmstadt ´Future Talent ´ award, Shastri Indo Canadian Research Fellowship, HERITAGE Erasmus Grant and Drexel University Short-Term Scholarship. His current research is focused on quantitative assessment of EEG signals from children with Epilepsy using advanced signal processing and machine learning techniques to assist clinicians in the decision making.
Publications
Postdocs
STAFF
Avatar 86

Jennings Zhang

Research Software Developer

Jennings Zhang received his undergraduate degree from Northeastern University. He works with Dr. Rudolph Pienaar’s Advanced Computing Group on ChRIS as a Research Software Developer and previously worked with Dr. Lana Vasung. Before joining the FNNDSC, Jennings worked in a similar lab in Montreal: the McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (MCIN).
Publications
Avatar 86

Rylee Kerper

Contact

Clinical Research Senior Coordinator

Rylee Kerper completed her BS in Medical Anthropology as well as her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at The University of Iowa. She joined the Division of Newborn Medicine in 2019 and works on the development, implementation, and maintenance of clinical research protocols, as well as participant recruitment and engagement, within Division and FNNDSC. She spends her spare time reading, trying new restaurants, and exploring New England.
Publications
Avatar 86

Ankush Kesri

Computational Health Informatics Data Manager

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra, India—an Institution of National Importance. Over time, my interests shifted toward computer science and its applications in the medical field, leading me to pursue a Master’s in Engineering Management (MSEM) from Northeastern University, with a specialization in data science and biomedical imaging. Currently, I work with Dr. Yangming Ou in the i3 group, where I provide data management support to postdoctoral researchers. My role involves data processing, analysis, and visualization, with a particular focus on MRI data pipelines. I have also collaborated with doctors at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD, contributing to feature selection process for Sturge-Weber Syndrome patient data. Beyond my professional work, I enjoy photography and exploring visual storytelling through anime, movies, and documentaries.
Publications
Avatar 86

Micheal Uhler, PhD

Contact

Morton Lab Manager

Mike received his BS in Clinical Chemistry from Seattle University and his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Oregon. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University and the University of Washington before moving to the Oregon Health Science University. He moved to the University of Michigan to study biochemical signaling mechanisms in the nervous system and worked there for 36 years before coming to the Morton Laboratory in 2024. His research project here focuses on the biochemical mechanisms of human heart development using induced pluripotent stem cells as models for genes involved in congenital heart disease.
Publications
Avatar 86

Pratiksha Pradhan

Computational Health Informatics Data Manager

Pratiksha graduated with a bachelor's degree from Delhi Technological University, India and a master's degree in Data Analytics Engineering from Northeastern University, Boston. She has been involved with projects related to health equity at the Institute of Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), MIT. At Boston Children’s Hospital, she works with The Manton Center for Orphan Disease Research and The Division of Newborn Medicine as a Data Scientist. She is a part of Dr. Sarah Morton’s Lab and works on single nuclei analysis.
Publications
ADMINISTRATION
Avatar 86

Tina Giella

Research Administrative Manager

Tina received her BS in Health Policy and Management, with a concentration of Business Studies from Providence College. In 2011, she started at Boston Children's Hospital in the Clinical Translational and Study Unit as an Administrative Associate before switching over to her current position as a Research Administrator in FNNDSC in 2018. She is involved in pre and post grant management. Her primary responsibilities in the Center are (1) to aid our investigators with research grant submissions (2) to manage the center’s research finances. In her spare time, she loves running and spending time with her husband, daughter, and son.
Avatar 86

Caroline Schutz

Program Coordinator II

Caroline graduated in May 2024 from Washington State University (Honors College), earning a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Human Resources Management. With a rich background in undergraduate cognitive psychological research, HR training for a non-profit healthcare system, and leadership development, Caroline has cultivated a diverse skill set and is passionate about workforce well-being. She acts as the administrative and operational point person for the FNNDSC. Recently relocated to Boston from Bend, Oregon, she enjoys hiking, yoga, interior design, and crafting charcuterie boards for family and friends.
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS & INTERNS
ResearchAssistants/Student Interns
Avatar 86

Sofie Chung

Clinical Research Assistant

I recently graduated from MIT with a B.S. in Computer Science and Cognitive Science. During my undergraduate years, I conducted research across speech, natural language processing, and computer vision, with a particular focus on comparing computational models to human cognition and behavior to better understand how biological and artificial systems process information. At FNNDSC, I will be contributing to two projects: (1) in-utero structural and functional analysis, with Dr. Esra Abaci-Turk, and (2) connectome neuroimaging analysis in congenital heart disease through the lifespan, with Dr. Ai Wern Chung. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and staying active with running, yoga, or martial arts!
Avatar 86

João Costa Cruz

Graduate Student Intern

João Costa Cruz is a fourth-year medical student at the University of São Paulo (USP), primarily focusing his research on neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism and ADHD. Beyond his academic work, he is deeply committed to social projects; he has previously led a medical expedition to provide care for riverside communities in the Amazon and presided over a weekly initiative assisting homeless individuals. At the FNNDSC, João works on neuroimaging research under the supervision of Professor Banu Ahtam. Outside of neuroscience, he is an enthusiastic football fan.
Avatar 86

Victor Romero De la Torre

Student Intern

Víctor is a Biomedical Engineering undergraduate student at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico City, with research interests in medical imaging, biomedical signal processing, genetics, and translational medicine. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he has worked on projects involving electromyography systems, prosthesis design, biomedical data analysis, and machine learning applications in healthcare, while actively leading multidisciplinary initiatives that connect students, researchers, clinicians, and industry partners. His academic experiences have fostered a strong interest in applying engineering and computational approaches to advance biomedical research. In addition to his research experience, Víctor has gained industry exposure through his role at Boston Scientific, where he has contributed to initiatives related to medical device innovation, healthcare collaboration, and strategic engagement, providing him with insight into the translation of research into clinical practice. At the Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center (FNNDSC), Víctor is a member of Dr. Sarah Morton's laboratory at Boston Children's Hospital. His work focuses on integrating MRI, genetics, and genomics to investigate congenital heart diseases and their relationship with brain development, contributing to research that combines neuroimaging and clinical data to better understand these complex conditions. Outside of work, Víctor enjoys organizing large-scale events, meeting people from different backgrounds, learning about new cultures and languages, reading, and occasionally playing video games.
Avatar 86

Litzy Flores

Clinical Research Coordinator & Study Navigator

Litzy graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2022 with a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in child development. From 2023-2025 she worked as a research assistant at the WUNDER lab at Washington University in St. Louis. At the WUNDER lab she assisted for the HBCD study and CUDDEL study. Litzy is now the study navigator for the HBCD study at BCH and is excited to work more closely with study participants. In the near future, she hopes to go into a PhD program in Clinical Psychology focusing on the immigrant and multilingual populations. As hobbies, she enjoys singing, reading, playing with her cat Frodo, and enjoys all that nature offers!
Avatar 86
Contact

Emily Castellanos

Clinical Research Assistant

Emily earned her B.A. from Amherst College in 2023, majoring in French and Psychology. Currently, she serves as a Clinical Research Assistant with the Healthy Brain Child Development (HBCD) Study. Her diverse academic interests propel her ambition to pursue a career in pediatric medicine, marked by a dedication to cultural competence and inclusivity in delivering quality healthcare.
Avatar 86

Nancy Paola Reyes Pazzi

Student Intern

Nancy Paola Reyes Pazzi is an undergraduate software engineering student at Tecnologico de Monterrey. She is interested in developing human-centered software systems at the intersection of data science, machine learning, and healthcare technologies. Alongside her studies, Nancy works as a full stack web developer. During her current internship at BCH, she will be working under the supervision of Dr. Ivy Lin on a project focused on neuroimaging segmentation to measure treatment progress in patients with hydrocephalus, applying computational methods to support clinical decision-making. Her academic and personal projects include machine learning–based neural signal classification, eye-tracking and pupillometric analysis for cognitive engagement estimation, and AI-powered assistants for users with different mental diseases.
Avatar 86

Emma Yu

Student Intern

Emma is a rising junior at The Winsor School in Boston. At school, she has taken Chemistry and AP Biology and participates in Science Olympiad, which has introduced her to a wide range of scientific disciplines. She is especially fascinated by the gut microbiome and how microbial communities influence biological systems and human health. This summer, Emma is working with Dr. Kong’s team at the FNNDSC. She looks forward to learning from the researchers in the lab and contributing to ongoing microbiome-related research projects in the context of neurodevelopmental and gut–brain interactions. Outside of academics, she enjoys cross country running, ballet, and spending time outdoors with family and friends.
Avatar 86

Gilberto Arias Vildosola

Student Intern

My name is Gilberto Arias Vildosola, and I am a Biomedical Engineering student at Tecnológico de Monterrey with experience in biomedical signal processing, neuroengineering, and computational image analysis. At the FNNDSC, I will support Dr. Kiho Im with fetal and neonatal neuroimaging research. My personal interests include music, art, personal wellbeing, and learning all about the world.
Avatar 86

Tiantian Lei

Research Assistant

Tiantian holds an M.S. degree in neuroimaging and informatics from the University of Southern California, where her passion lies in unraveling the intricacies of the nervous system and its diseases through MRI technology. With previous research experience focusing on biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, specifically Alzheimer's disease, she hopes to continue her exploration of imaging techniques in her role as a research assistant at the FNNDSC. Outside of work, she finds joy in music and movies, and is always on the lookout for the next exciting live show.
Avatar 86

Tiffany Berry

Clinical Research Coordinator

Tiffany is a Clinical Research Coordinator for the HBCD study. She received a B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Psychology, and Certificate in Neuroscience from Providence College in 2022. While at Providence, Tiffany studied grit and stereotype threat among children in the Social Perception and Attitudes Lab and inflammation in neurological disorders in the Stem Cell Lab. She has also supported neurodevelopmental research in the Boston Children’s Hospital Neurobehavioral Core. Her research interests include early adversity, neurodiversity, and interventions to support the development and well-being of children and their families. Tiffany hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in the future.
bottom of page