Khalid Abdulla

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Khalid, an Abu Dhabi native, received his BS in Neuroscience from the Ohio State University. During the course of his undergraduate study under the mentorship of Dr. Derick Lindquist, Khalid investigated the adverse effects of neonatal exposure to alcohol on the developing hippocampus using a rat model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. His work entailed delineating alcohol-induced changes in hippocampal synaptic and extrasynaptic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit composition, and the degree to which the change weakens hippocampal-dependent synaptic plasticity.

Concurrent to his public service in forensics at the Abu Dhabi Police, Khalid joined Dr. Claude Desplan's lab at New York University Abu Dhabi in 2016 as a visiting scholar. In his role, Khalid assisted in profiling D. melanogaster optic lobe cells using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. After fulfilling his public service in forensics, Khalid transitioned into a full-time position as a research assistant in 2020. He plans to employ his previous experience and technical expertise to leverage his research pursuits in the Desplan lab, and to further hone his knowledge in fields of developmental genetics and molecular neurobiology.

Khalid ultimately plans to convert his cumulative professional experience in research and lab work to a fully-fledged PhD program pursuit in either the field of neurobiology or the field of genetics. In addition to his keen interest in research, Khalid leads a personal pathway in the field of music performance as a classically-trained cellist.