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Meet The Team
Craig E. Brown, Ph.D
Professor
Dr. Brown received his BSc. in Psychology from the University of Manitoba and completed his MSc and Ph.D in Neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Richard H. Dyck at University of Calgary. He then conducted his post-doctoral studies focused on neural plasticity during stroke recovery at the University of British Columbia (UBC) under the supervision of Dr. Timothy Murphy. Dr. Brown started his neuroscience laboratory in 2009, and is now a full Professor in the Division of Medical Sciences at The University of Victoria (UVic).
One of his primary research interests is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that dictate brain repair, with particular emphasis on aging, stroke and/or vascular diseases such as diabetes. To address these questions, the Brown lab employs a multi-disciplinary approach, imaging the structure and function of defined cell types (neurons, microglia, endothelial cells) in the living brain in tandem with biochemical, pharmacological and behavioural approaches. Dr. Brown’s basic science and health related research program has been supported by the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR), Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and NSERC. Dr. Brown is also a recipient of the CIHR New Investigator award and the Michael Smith Foundation’s Career Investigator Award.
In his spare time Dr. Brown enjoys time with his family and spends many hours at the hockey rink.
Ph.D student
Dominique is a Ph.D candidate in the Brown Lab joining in August 2023. She successfully obtained her MS.c degree in Neuroscience from Queen's University in June 2023, conducting research under the mentorship of Dr. David Andrew, with a focus on the investigation of spreading depolarisation induced by ischemic strokes.
Currently Dominique’s Ph.D research project is centred around using in vivo two-photon microscopy to study microvascular reperfusion following stroke in a rodent model.
Aside from research, Dominique enjoys knitting, pottery, and spending time with her dog Saddie and partner at the beach.
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Ph.D student
Tanaka obtained her MS.c in Molecular and Medical Biotechnology from the Università degli studi di Verona, Italy.
Her research, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Ilaria Decimo focused the intricate molecular pathways underlying spinal cord injury, exploring aspects such as neuronal loss, inflammation and impaired tissue regeneration.
Now pursuing her Ph.D in the Brown lab, she is investigating how endothelial proteins influence blood flow dynamics and vascular function after ischemic stroke.
In her downtime she enjoys practicing sport (especially tennis), gaming, travelling and watching documentaries.
PhD student
Frances received her B.Sc. (Honours) in Biology from Carleton University in 2022. During her final semester, she completed a directed studies course in neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Amedeo D'Angiulli, where she developed a strong interest in neuroinflammation and microglial biology.
As a graduate student in the Brown Lab, Frances investigates how microglia alter or maintain their inflammatory responses following repeated cerebral microbleeds.
Outside the lab, she enjoys mini hiking adventures, cheering (and occasionally stressing) through F1 weekends as a Lewis Hamilton fan, waiting for Taylor Swift's new album announcement, and most likely seeing if Tanaka or Dominique wants to hang out.
Ph.D student
Taylor began her university studies in 2008 at Vancouver Island University as a varsity athlete on the women's volleyball team. She then took a 9-year hiatus from university to live in Copenhagen, Denmark as a professional volleyball player, followed by a move to Melbourne, Australia to work full-time as a yoga and meditation teacher. She came back to her studies in 2020 at the University of Victoria and completed her BSc (Hons) in neurobiology in 2022.
She is now a PhD student, co-supervised by Dr. Kerry Delaney and Dr. Craig Brown. Taylor is investigating activity-dependent plasticity dysfunction in a mouse model of Rett Syndrome.
When not in the lab, you'll find her hiking in the trees, cycling, doing yoga, or cuddling her two cats Dolores and Bernard.
Ph.D student
Dhwani is a Ph.D. candidate in the Brown Lab with a background in medicine, having earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University in 2019.
Her doctoral research focuses on understanding how biological sex and estrogen influence microglial responses to cerebral microbleeds. Using in vivo two-photon microscopy, she investigates how hormonal factors shape neuroimmune interactions in the brain, with the goal of advancing our understanding of sex-specific mechanisms in neurological disease.
Outside the lab, Dhwani enjoys exploring various forms of art and spending time outdoors. She is also fond of “namjooning”- finding inspiration in nature and appreciating life’s smaller details. A proud member of the BTS ARMY, she is always happy to discuss music, creativity, and the group’s impact on global culture.
MS.c student
Born and raised in Calgary, Andrew completed his BS.c with honours from Queen’s University in June of 2023. Following a semester off he joined the Swayne laboratory where he worked as a research assistant until starting his MS.c in the Brown lab in September of 2024.
Andrew uses two-photon microscopy to study the relationship between endothelial calcium activity in flowing and obstructed capillaries. Currently he is working on his thesis and hoping to defend in the coming months.
In his spare time you can find Andrew cheering on Charles Leclerc, on his road bike, or scrolling Strava.
MS.c student
Mana earned her B.Sc. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Isfahan in Iran, where she worked on the relationship between immunological biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid and relapse patterns in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Her current project uses longitudinal two-photon microscopy to investigate microglial responses to focal cortical injury in vivo. She studies how microglia engulf, transport, and retain foreign material over time, with the goal of understanding their role in brain health and neurological disease.
When she's not in the lab, she can often be found doing yoga by the beach and enjoying the outdoors.
Research assistant
Prior to joining our team, Sam completed his MSc in neuroscience at the University of Laval in Quebec, and spent 1.5 in the biotech industry engineering vascularized tissue models for drug testing. He brings expertise in mouse behavioural studies, microbiology techniques, and image analysis tools.
Outside of the lab, Sam volunteers with a local farmer's market, and seeks out long bike rides, ski trips, sailing races, and good books.
Research assistant
Kamal received his MS.c in neuroscience from the University of Victoria (UVic) in the Brown lab. His research project uses in vivo two-photon microscopy to investigate the role of SerpinE1 /PAI-1 on microvascular hemodynamics following stroke.
To kick time off, Kamal trains and co-instructs taekwondo, plays soccer, and enjoys cooking. You can also catch him in the movie theatre every week, and will not shy away from telling a surprising fact of the day.
Our Team in Action
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