Iván is a first-generation immigrant from Buenos Aires, Argentina and is currently a PhD candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is happily in the lab of Dr. Tristan Shuman where he focuses on using in vivo calcium imaging with miniature microscopes to investigate network alterations that produce cognitive deficits and seizures in mouse models of temporal lobe epilepsy. Iván received his B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior from Vassar College in 2018. There, he worked in the lab of Dr. Hadley Bergstrom where he studied the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on brain circuits mediating the expression and retrieval of established fear memories using mouse models. After finishing his undergraduate studies, he spent two years as an NIH-PREP post-bac fellow at the University of Pennsylvania in the lab of Dr. Amelia Eisch. There, he studied the contribution of hippocampal circuits underlying depression-like phenotypes and pattern separation performance in rodents. Some of his other projects were aimed at analyzing the molecular and cognitive phenotypic changes in rodents following space radiation exposure. As a Project SHORT mentor, Iván hopes to use his unique career experiences to help guide others who seek to carve their own path in science research. Outside of lab, Iván loves to lift weights and play intramural soccer with friends. He also enjoys expanding his culinary knowledge and skills with the help of his hungry roommates and family.