Lin Tian, PhD

Thanks to Karel Svoboda for the invitation and for putting together a great symposium!

How has the way we study neural coding and dynamics changed?

At the recent @lakeconferences.bsky.social hosted by @alleninstitute.org I was able to share ideas and research with others working toward new experimental & computational methods for studying these dynamic systems over time.

This week is the 16th Annual National Postdoc Appreciation Week, and we couldn't be prouder of our postdocs in the Tian Lab! ✨

Our postdocs drive forward research, plan and lead projects, mentor students, present and publish work, and much more. I am grateful for you every day!

#NPAW2025

Sunposium 2026 This is "Sunposium 2026" by Max Planck Florida on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

Thinking about attending Sunposium 2026? The early bird registration deadline is September 19th. Curious what makes this conference so special? Our video will give you a glimpse: buff.ly/2FuGjgO Join us March 9–11, 2026, in sunny South Florida. Find more information at buff.ly/zn5aS2b

Lin Tian Lab - Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience - Research Lin Tian's Lab invents, optimizes, and shares innovative molecular tools and biosensors with the ultimate goal of uncovering new treatments for neuropsychiatric diseases.

💡 The future direction of these sensors goes beyond optimization. We want to combine sensor use with technology such as fiber photometry in order to measure the full range of dynamics such as tonic and phasic neuromodulator release.

➡️ Learn more here: www.lintianlab.org/research#tools

🔎 We optimize for signal to noise ratio, measuring intrinsic properties: dynamic range, dissociation constant (Kd), frequency & concentration of signaling molecules.

At a recent lecture I gave at Cold Spring Harbor Lab Asia, I used our calcium indicator as an example to illustrate how we design these sensors.

📈 Optimization is key.

The brain has complex dynamics that give rise to a range of states & behaviors.

🤔 How do we study this complex system?

In my lab’s work, we design and optimize biosensors to measure brain activity at the molecular level.

I attended the first ever Neurobiology of Psychedelics GRC last month.

I was impressed by how interdisciplinary the field is, from molecules to humans. We are just starting to understand the mechanisms of these drugs and how they can unlock future treatments. #GRCPsychedelics

They celebrated with a poster session last week highlighting what they learned. We are so proud of them and their contribution to advancing brain research. Thanks also to their mentors, Yiwei Hua, Julie Chouinard, and Erin Scott!

Photo of the summer interns and lab mentors in the Tian Lab.

Photo of the summer interns at their poster session & end of program celebration.

Congratulations to our three wonderful interns who joined us in the Tian Lab this summer, working on optimizing our PsychLight methodology to screen for potentially therapeutic compounds with similar mechanisms to psychedelics.

www.mpfi.org/high-school-...

The Tian Lab looks forward to welcoming high school students each year as a part of @mpfneuro.bsky.social's summer internship program!

We’re thrilled to have Olivia & Nicole join us this summer and to be part of their journey as they explore what a future in neuroscience can look like.

I recently spoke about my lab's newest sensors at @embl.org‬'s European Light Microscopy Initiative meeting 🔦 🧠

Sharing progress with the community is key to moving science forward, which is why these sensors, and all our tools, are open source ➡️ www.lintianlab.org/research#tools

What a joy to celebrate Nikki, Yihan & Kiran at @ucdavis.bsky.social commencement 🎓

As Chancellor May said, the world needs minds like yours more than ever & I’m so excited to see the impact you’ll make in the years ahead.

Congratulations on this incredible milestone!

📆 Mark your calendars: #OptoGRC2026 is headed back to Tuscany, May 10-15, 2026!

We look forward to reuniting with our amazing community for a week of great science, thoughtful discussions & shared time with colleagues.

More details coming soon👇🏽
tinyurl.com/esvrabsu

Our next #InterfaceNeuroGT session highlighted cutting-edge techniques for measuring and manipulating sensorimotor and cognitive behavior — across species and across scales.

Sponsored by McCamish Parkinson's Disease Innovation Program and chaired by @drannabellesinger.bsky.social.

Know an exceptional early-career independent scientist? Nominate them for the Peter Gruss Young Investigator Award, honoring outstanding contributions to the scientific community through collaboration, creativity, and curiosity-driven research. Please share! mpfi.org/pgyia

It's #MentalHealthAwareness Month. At MPFI, Dr. Lin Tian's team is uncovering changes in brain signaling in conditions like depression by developing tools to visualize neurotransmitters in real-time. This work brings us closer to improved treatment of mental health challenges. buff.ly/LguhgQU

The new @maxplanck.de Postdoc Program platform is now open for its first ever round of applications!

If you're looking for a new research opportunity, check out the full list of open positions👇🏽

postdocprogram.mpg.de/node/3

Last week was #GradStudentAppreciationWeek – a chance to celebrate and thank the incredible Tian Lab students who move our science forward 🧑🏽‍🔬👩🏻‍🔬

Your creativity, focus & determination in the face of big questions inspire me every day, and I am so grateful to learn alongside you.

A warm welcome to all of the students, faculty and sponsors who have traveled from around the world to join us at the 2025 Advanced Neurotechniques Course! We couldn't imagine a more exciting way to kick off the course than with a fantastic keynote lecture from Nobel laureate Stefan Hell!

He introduced the Max Planck Transatlantic Program — focused on strengthening global partnerships, promoting #collaboration at every stage, and investing in the next generation of science.

It was a privilege to be in the room for such an important and timely conversation - curiosity never fades!

On Monday, @patrick-cramer.maxplanck.de, President of @maxplanck.de, shared a powerful message at @germanyinusa.bsky.social about the importance of partnership between the USA and Germany — built on our shared core values of excellence, integrity, openness, and freedom 🇺🇸🇩🇪

Proud to have had our Senior Research Scientist, Kwun Nok Mimi Man, represent the Tian Lab at #CSNeuroMet2025 in Shenzhen!

She presented our new FLIM sensor—compatible with both fluorescence and lifetime imaging, enabling deeper, more versatile measurements of dopamine dynamics in vivo 💡 🧠

Since we began tracking in 2023, we've shipped over 170 biosensor samples to research teams across 4 continents!

#OpenScience is a core value of the Tian Lab & we're proud to contribute by making our tools globally accessible 🌎🔬

🔗 Requests: lintianlab.org/research#tools

If you are at @cellpress.bsky.social “Neurometabolism in health and disease”, don’t miss hearing about a new red-shifted dopamine sensor compatible with both fluorescence and lifetime measurements developed by Kwun Nok Mimi Man from @lintianphd.bsky.social lab! Poster P.38, 1:30 – 3:30 Tuesday.

Thank you to @thetransmitter.bsky.social for highlighting some of the latest breakthroughs in photometry!

As these systems continue to improve, the technology becomes more efficient, affordable & accessible, and unlocks the potential for new discoveries about the human brain 🧠

On the Town in The Palm Beaches with Frank Licari | Working in the Palm Beaches | Season 8 | Episode 3 Visit the booming workforce of the Palm Beaches.

Did you catch our CEO and Scientific Director, Dr. David Fitzpatrick, on South Florida PBS's (@southfloridapbs.bsky.social ) "On the Town in the Palm Beaches" with Frank Licari? Check out the interview to learn more about MPFI's work! ➡️ to.pbs.org/4leYRm1
(Dr. Fitzpatrick's segment starts at 11:00)

Excited to join this incredible lineup on April 2 to discuss how the Brain Coast Alliance is working to advance brain health right here in South Florida 🧠🌴

Looking forward to sharing our progress & discussing @mpfneuro.bsky.social's role in driving innovation!

Register: tinyurl.com/24jfa3wf

The Tian Lab had the honor of bringing Dr. Stefan Hell to thebenjaminschool.org last week as part of @mpfneuro.bsky.social's #AskMax program!

We had a blast engaging with 80+ fourth-graders, answering their big questions & showing them that anyone can be a scientist 🔬✨

🔗 bit.ly/3XS96T5