Click Here for the 2025 Postdoc Pitch Competition Video Link!
Competition Date: October 23, 2025
Time: 3:00 – 5:00 PM | Reception to follow
Location: Sanford Burnham Prebys, Victor E. LaFave III Memorial Auditorium
Register Here!
Can you present your research in just 180 seconds?
The Postdoc Pitch competition is a dynamic research communication challenge that invites postdoctoral researchers to present their work in a compelling, accessible, and engaging way… in just three minutes.
Finalists in this event are postdoctoral researchers selected through internal competitions held at each TPTC partner institution, Salk, Sanford Burnham Prebys, Scripps Research, and UCSD. Postdoc Pitch participants will go head-to-head, presenting their research in just 180 seconds, using one static slide, highlighting why their research matters. The competition develops essential skills in academic communication, public engagement, and interdisciplinary impact.
Speaker Bios
Aalok Varma, Ph.D.
Dr. Aalok Varma is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Neurosciences at UC San Diego. Dr. Varma obtained his bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Manipal University, Manipal, India and received his PhD from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS-TIFR), Bangalore, India where he explored what bistability in individual Purkinje neurons means for the ensemble of neurons in the cerebellum, using larval zebrafish as the model system. As a post-doctoral fellow in the Looger lab, he is broadly interested in understanding how life is impacted by and adapting to climate change by working on different experimental systems spanning the domains of life (fungi and animals). Aalok was enticed to participate in UCSD’s first-ever Postdoc PITCH competition to improve his ability to share his research with the public in a way that is easily understandable. He believes it is crucial for scientists to effectively communicate their discoveries to the wider public and currently volunteers for a group called Taste of Science in which researchers give engaging talks about their work at local breweries. In his free time, Aalok enjoys reading fiction, swimming, playing tennis and watching a lot of TV shows.
Alexandra Houser, Ph.D.
Dr. Alexandra Houser is a postdoctoral scholar at Sanford Burnham Prebys in Dr. Feng’s lab, where she studies what makes some neurons more likely to turn off than others and how that changes in disease. She earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), where she studied the complimentary question to her postdoc work, methods of turning on neurons that are found uniquely in the human brain. A passionate science communicator, Alex has taught and mentored students across all levels and served as Events Chair for the Alliance for Visible Diversity in Science, a grassroots student led initiative to increase diversity and inclusion for students of color at OHSU. Her work has been recognized with multiple honors, including an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and UCSC’s prestigious Steck Family Award for best senior thesis across all disciplines in 2016.
Chloe Erikson, Ph.D.
Dr. Chloe Erikson is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Roberto Lab at Scripps Research in the Department of Translational Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Washington State University in 2023. Over the past decade, her research has explored the neurobiological underpinnings of alcohol use disorders, with a particular focus on how the cerebellum might play a vital role. Chloe is also passionate about science communication and mentorship and has actively participated in Skype a Scientist and been a volunteer reviewer for JEI since her graduate studies.
Irene Lopez Gutierrez, Ph.D.
Originally from Spain, Dr. Irene L. Gutierrez is a neuroscientist and postdoctoral researcher in the Kaech Lab at the Salk Institute. Her research explores how infections write lasting “memories” into the immune system—memory T cells that can settle in the brain, protect us early in life, but later drive aging and Alzheimer’s disease.
Jasmin Revanna, Ph.D.
Dr. Jasmin Revanna completed her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at UCSD and continued as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Rusty Gage’s lab studying the role of APOE4 in microglia and how it contributes to Alzheimer’s disease. APOE4, a lipid transporter, is the greatest known genetic risk factor for sporadic AD and Jasmin has uncovered how APOE4 is unable to properly export lipoproteins out of microglia. She is now working on uncovering therapeutics for APOE4 AD by targeting the lysosomes of microglia. When Jasmin isn’t making microglia in the lab, she enjoys reading at the park with her dog, Enzo.
Jessica Proulx, Ph.D.
Dr. Jessica Proulx obtained her PhD at the University of North Texas Health Science Center where she graduated top of her class, receiving both the Dean’s and Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence. She was recruited to Sanford Burnham Prebys through the Inaugural Rising Star Symposium in 2022, which highlights exceptional postdoctoral candidates from across the country. Dr. Proulx now works in the lab of Dr. Peter Adams where she is investigating the cellular and molecular biology of aging. Aging is a major risk factor for many diseases, including most cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. By using multi-omic technologies (including single cell and spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, and lipidomics), Dr. Proulx seeks to identify key age-associated pathways and mechanisms that predispose an aged liver to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). As liver transplants are the only current effective therapy for the later stages of MASLD, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, findings from these studies are essential to help improve disease management and/or preventative interventions. Dr. Proulx’s long-term career goals are to lead an independent laboratory that generates impactful knowledge for the aging research community while training future generations of new scientists.
Natasha Anita, Ph.D.
Dr. Natasha Anita is currently a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Neurosciences at UC San Diego. Dr. Anita holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto where her research focused on uncovering biomarkers to predict cognition and mood in individuals with type 2 diabetes. She credits the University of Toronto’s Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology for first sparking her interest in pharmacology as an undergraduate student and later shaping and strengthening her research skills throughout her graduate training. In her work as a Postdoc at UCSD, Natasha researches treatable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. She aspires to an academic career where she can continue to advance the field and make a positive impact on patients’ lives.
Susanna Manenti, Ph.D.
Dr. Susanna Manenti is a postdoctoral associate in the Mendoza Lab at Scripps Research, where she has been working since September 2023. She earned her PhD in Molecular Medicine, with a focus on Neuroscience and Experimental Neurology, from Vita-Salute University in Milan, Italy. Her research explores the intersection of neuroscience and immunology, specifically the role of peripheral sensory neurons in shaping the tumor microenvironment. By uncovering how neuro–immune interactions influence cancer progression, she aims to identify novel therapeutic targets that could enhance current cancer treatments.
Beyond the lab, Susanna serves as Vice President of the Society of Fellows, where she is committed to mentorship and building an inclusive postdoctoral community at Scripps. Outside of science, she is passionate about tennis and finds balance through yoga.
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Torrey Pines Training Consortium (TPTC) 