Dr Arkoprovo Paul

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

a.paul2@aston.ac.uk

School of Psychology, Health and Clinical Sciences, Aston University

Scientific Background

Research Interests

My research focuses on engineering human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived 3D brain models, including organoids and assembloids, to understand how different brain cells come together to form functional circuits during development. I am interested in defining how these cells and circuits process and store information, and seek to uncover the biological principles underlying neuronal network computation, learning and memory in healthy and neurological conditions.

Scientific Inspiration

Prof Madeline Lancaster (Cambridge) and Prof Sergiu Pașca (Stanford), whose pioneering work on human iPSC derived brain organoids and assembloids has transformed how human brain development can be studied in the laboratory.

Research Groups

NeuroSYNC

Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Supportive, collaborative and student-centred.

Provision of Training

I will provide structured, hands-on training in all experimental and data analysis methods required for the project, so prior experience with these specific techniques is not essential; where appropriate, this will be complemented by specialist training and mentoring support from postdoctoral researchers, senior PhD students and collaborators within and beyond Aston. As the student gains confidence, I will progressively support them to design experiments, analyse data and solve problems independently, guided by personalised training, development plan and regular mentoring.

Progression Monitoring and Management

We will discuss and set out clear milestones and short-term goals in the beginning, reviewing progress, data and training needs through weekly one-to one meetings arranged flexibly and fortnightly group meetings. I will encourage and support you to develop your own scientific thinking by shaping research questions, refining methods and taking ownership of written work, while remaining available to provide guidance and support for both the PhD project and your wider professional and development goals.

Communication

I encourage open and respectful communication through regular meetings, informal discussions through emails or Teams or Whatsapp. Students should feel comfortable raising questions or concerns affecting their progress or wellbeing. I aim to respond promptly during working hours without expecting replies outside normal working hours. I also support flexible working, giving students the freedom and independence to plan and manage their own work while coordinating time-sensitive experiments and shared facilities in a friendly collaborative team environment.

Meetings

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me at least once per week. These meetings will be a mixture of face-to-face and via video chat or telephone. I am usually contactable for an instant response 3 or 4 days per week.

Work Patterns

Certain tasks in my lab need to occur at set times, and students need to be able to commit to a rota/timetable shared with other members of the team.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 1 week's notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5,000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

Learning and Memory in Human Stem Cell-derived 3D Brain Organoids

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Learning and Memory in Human Stem Cell-derived 3D Brain Organoids

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Dan Ma, Professor Rhein Parri

University of Registration: Aston University

BBSRC Research Themes:

Understanding the Rules of Life (Neuroscience and Behaviour, Stem Cells, Systems Biology)
Integrated Understanding of Health (Ageing, Regenerative Biology)

Project Outline

How do human brain circuits form during development, adapt to experience and retain information? Learning and memory depend on changes in communication between brain cells, but much of our knowledge comes from animal studies or 2D planar cell cultures. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be grown into brain organoids - three-dimensional models containing diverse brain cell types and spontaneously active neural networks. These models offer a new way to study how human circuits develop and change over time.

The project will engineer region-specific organoids representing the cortex and ventral forebrain, then fuse them to create assembloids - integrated 3D models that mimic how different brain regions connect to form neural circuits. Within these models, inhibitory interneurons can migrate and connect with excitatory neurons to form active neural networks, recapitulating human prenatal forebrain development. The student will investigate how the balance between excitation and inhibition influences network stability, flexibility and plasticity - the ability of neural connections to change with experience.

Network development will be followed using high-density multi-electrode arrays, which record electrical activity from many sites, together with calcium imaging to visualise active networks. Optogenetic viral tools and pharmacological methods will be used to modify the activity of selected cell populations, while quantitative and computational analyses will measure firing patterns, synchrony, plasticity and memory-like responses.

The project will reveal fundamental principles of how developing human neural circuits process and retain information, and explore how these principles could inform neuromorphic computing - human brain inspired computing systems. The student will receive interdisciplinary training in human stem cell biology, 3D brain models, high-resolution imaging, viral techniques, electrophysiology and quantitative data analysis.