Dr Natalie Matosin

Lab Head

Dr Natalie Matosin is an Al & Val Rosenstrauss Senior Fellow (Rebecca L Cooper Medical Research Foundation), an inaugural Sydney Horizon Fellow (Senior Lecturer), and Head of the MINDS Lab at the University of Sydney. Natalie was awarded her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Wollongong, and subsequently trained at the University of New South Wales and Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry. Natalie has held fellowships with the NHMRC, IBRO and the Humboldt Foundation. Outside of work Natalie is mum to two little kids, ocean obsessed and loves being outdoors running, swimming, skating and surfing.

Yasmine Kostoglou

Lab Manager

Yasmine Kostoglou is the MINDS Lab Manager at the University of Sydney. She completed a B. Medical Sci (Neuroscience Honours, Class 1) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and has experience working with human postmortem brain tissue in the context of psychiatric illness. Yasmine has also worked as a casual academic tutor in neuroanatomy at UNSW, where she developed a strong interest in the structural organisation of the human brain. She is passionate about understanding how stress shapes the brain and is currently working alongside Dr Sophie Debs to explore the cellular and molecular features of adversity in the insular cortex. Her expertise spans histology, human post-mortem brain tissue dissections, cryostat sectioning, and general laboratory management. Outside of the lab, Yasmine enjoys travelling, training at the gym, hiking, and spending time at the beach.

Dr Lydia Hardowar

Postdoctoral Researcher

Primary postdoc project: Human adult hippocampal neurogenesis.
Dr Lydia Hardowar is a UK educated Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Sydney. Having completed her Ph.D research at Nottingham Trent University with a focus on neurovascular change in pain development, Lydia went on to spend two years continuing her work as a Research Fellow. Lydia has emigrated to Sydney to continue her endeavours in academic neuroscience research. Within the MINDS lab, Lydia is exploring hippocampal adult neurogenesis aberrations in psychiatric disorders. Lydia has expertise in histology, spatial transcriptomic experimentation, preclinical behavioural studies and tissue/cell culture. Outside of work you may find Lydia enjoying a hike, reading a horror novel, hosting a dinner party or having a boogie with a drink in hand.

Dr Sophie Debs

Postdoctoral Researcher

Primary postdoc project: Molecular and cellular impacts of early life stress on the insular cortex of individuals with psychiatric disorders.
Sophie Debs is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Sydney. Sophie recently completed her PhD at the University of New South Wales focussing on the role of stress and immune-mediated mechanisms of dopamine dysregulation in neurodevelopmental psychiatric disease. Sophie has a vested interest in molecular psychiatry, and within the MINDS lab, examines molecular features associated with childhood adversity in the insular cortex in stress-related disorders. Sophie is experienced in behavioural neuroscience, human postmortem experimentation, and cellular models. Outside of work, Sophie loves to travel, and enjoys reading, painting and listening to music.  

Dr Jens van Dalfsen

Visiting Research Fellow

Primary project: Single-cell and spatial omics in major depressive disorder: From fundamental discovery to clinical application.
Dr. Jens van Dalfsen is a Visting Research Fellow at the University of Sydney. He is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Psychiatry at the University Medical Centre Groningen, who emigrated to Sydney to collaborate in translational research. His academic work centres around the neurobiology of major depressive disorder and how this can be reversed with antidepressant treatment. Within the MINDS lab, Jens investigates molecular alterations in major depressive disorder in peripheral blood and postmortem brain tissue, to elucidate pathological levels of putative targets of traditional and novel antidepressant agents. He combines expertise in psychopharmacology and behavioural neuroscience within both clinical and preclinical studies. Outside of work, Jens enjoys spending time at the beach and surfing traditional longboards.  

Dr Dominic Kaul

Research Officer

Dominic’s research interest is in dissecting the diversity of human brain astrocytes and understanding how they are impacted in psychiatric disorders, particularly in those that have experienced severe stress in their life. During his PhD, Dom implemented a number of techniques, including histology, stem cell modelling, and molecular/bioinformatic approaches to answer these questions from multiple angles. The goal is to lead to better translatability of pre-clinical models, support more comprehensive psychiatric diagnosis, and ultimately reduce disorder burden. Dominic completed his PhD (Examiner’s Commendation) in the MINDS Lab and now work as a biostatistician within NSW Health, while still providing bioinformatics expertise to the MINDS Lab. Outside of work, Dominic enjoys anything outdoors (swimming/hiking/running) seeing live music, and a good crossword.

Amber Curry

PhD Student

PhD topic: Impact of stress on the cellular architecture of the hippocampus in severe psychiatric disorders.
In 2019, Amber completed a Bachelor of Science with a Medical Biotechnology major at UOW. Her honours project was completed with the MINDS Lab in 2021, where she measured the cellular density in the hippocampus of individuals with psychiatric disorders characterised by stress exposure. Amber commenced her PhD in 2021 which expands on her honours work; investigating the impact of stress on the cellular landscape of the hippocampus in cases of psychiatric disorder, and the changes to gene expression underpinning the cellular alterations. This research aims to identify potential targets in the hippocampus for future drug development, with the goal of improved cognition and memory in patients. In her spare time Amber loves to read, paint, roller-skate, and spend time with friends and family.  

Katrina Edmond

PhD Student

PhD topic: Understanding the neuropeptide and steroid hormone landscape of the human brain.
Katrina received her BSc (Med Biotech) from UOW in 2021, followed by Honours in the MINDS Lab for which she was awarded the 2022 UOW University Medal. Katrina’s honours thesis focused on characterising the distribution of the FKBP51 protein throughout the human cerebral cortex using histological methods. Since 2023, Katrina has been undertaking my PhD in the MINDS Lab and the Ellis Lab at UOW. Her project is focused on understanding how neuropeptides and steroid hormones contribute to gene expression regulation in the human brain. By using a combination of MALDI mass spectrometry and single cell analysis techniques, Katrina’s research aims to establish a comprehensive molecular map of the neurotypical brain to better understand brain disorders following early life stress. Out of the lab, Katrina enjoys cooking, visiting museums (ancient history especially!!), 80s Australian Rock and spending time with her gorgeous cat, Nala. 

Tamim Ahsan

PhD Student

PhD topic: Developing and applying novel computational biology approaches to integrate single cell and spatial omics data.
In Bangladesh, Tamim completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Dhaka in 2018 and a Master’s (with Thesis) in Marine Biotechnology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University in 2020. He has worked as a contract faculty member at BRAC University and is a Scientific Officer (on deputation) at the National Institute of Biotechnology. Tamim’s research has focused on the molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, population genomics, personalized medicine and drug discovery. His interest in genomics and stress grew after visiting the Genomics Facility at Monash University Malaysia in 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. These interests motivated Tamim to start my PhD in the MINDS Lab, where he is developing a novel computational method to integrate single cell and spatial omics data. Besides science, Tamim loves poetry and films, painting and music.

William Haynes

PhD Student

PhD topic: Defining the impact of adversity on the hippocampus in severe psychiatric disorders. 

Will completed his BSc (Neuroscience and Pharmacology) at the University of Sydney in 2021 before receiving Honours (Class I) in Neuroscience at UNSW the following year. After working as a Research Assistant for two years, he has commenced a PhD with the MINDS lab investigating the impacts of early life adversity on the stress-sensitive brain region, the hippocampus, in cases with psychiatric illness. Will is motivated to advance our understanding of psychiatric illness at a cellular and molecular level and endeavour to apply this knowledge to develop new treatments, improving outcomes for those affected. Aside from science, Will’s time is occupied by surfing, reading, drawing, and spending time with friends.

Adeline Blomqvist

Honours Student

Thesis topic: Cytoarchitectural characterisation of the insular cortex in stress-related disorders.
Adeline completed a Bachelor of Science with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Biology, and is undertaking an honours year with the MINDS lab in 2026. Adeline is particularly interested in the neural mechanisms and long-term neurological impacts of childhood adversity and stress-related disorders. She is looking forward to learning and hopes to make a valuable contribution to the MINDS lab in her research. In her free time, Adeline enjoys travel, going to the beach, spending time with friends, and both making and appreciating art.

Hiroyasu Kaji

Dalyell Student

Dalyell project: Epigenetics of refugee parent-child dyads.
Hiro is currently studying a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine (DDMP) at the University of Sydney and is undertaking a Dalyell project with the MINDS Lab. He is particularly interested in the effects of stress and adversity on brain physiology and hopes to explore this field through his interests in both medicine and computer science. His Dalyell project focuses on the epigenetics of refugee parent-child dyads, with the aim of uncovering the intergenerational impacts of early-life adversity on the epigenome. Outside of his studies, Hiro enjoys reading, playing the guitar, travelling, and spending time with friends and family.