Polina Litvak

She is working on a biophysically-detailed computational model of the thalamus and thalamocortical integration as well as the thalamic reticular nucleus – a gatekeeper of sensory information flow to the cortex. Her focus lies in understanding the role of cortico-reticular-thalamic interactions across sleep and attention and in relation to mental illness.

Prior to entering the field of neuroscience, Polina built a deep skillset in professional software engineering and project management, during a ten-year career as an enterprise software engineer in a variety of industries.

Polina has a Master’s in Molecular Biosciences, Neuroscience from Heidelberg University, Germany and a Computer Science Bachelors from the University of Toronto, Canada.

Polina loves the outdoors and traveling. She is a big fan of Schiele and Degas and greatly enjoys reading, playing the piano and above all dancing!