Lin Tian, PhD

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

Local 4th graders got a big STEM surprise as Nobel Prize-winning researcher @stefanhelllabs.bsky.social joined their class, along with MPFI Scientific Director @lintianphd.bsky.social Thank you to all the future scientists as well as the Benjamin School for hosting our Ask Max team! buff.ly/g58OfWD

Investing in science is investing in the future. We’re driving discoveries that will transform our approach to brain health and these breakthroughs rely on continued support. #StandUpfForScience2025

Last weekend, @mpfneuro.bsky.social hosted our annual Max Brain Challenge—a day for local students to visit & get a first-hand look at how exciting neuroscience can be 🧠✨

Special thanks to the J&S Pew Family Fund for making this event possible!

See the full recap: bit.ly/4b2XH8l

Grateful to have had the opportunity to kick off 2025 with talks at UCLA & @salkinstitute.bsky.social!

Returning to California can be bittersweet, but it's always a treat to share our latest work with the amazing science community there—and take in the beautiful West Coast views ☀️🧠

The course is open to anyone interested in using the latest neurotech in their research & we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply!

Limited travel grants are also available to help make participation more accessible.

Learn more & register ⬇️
mpfi.org/neuroimaging

Registration for the 2025 @mpfneuro.bsky.social
Neurotechniques Course closes this Wednesday!

Co-directed by Ryohei Yasuda & @denisejcai.bsky.social and led by an amazing team of experts, this hands-on course is a great opportunity to learn cutting-edge methods in neuroscience 🔬🧠

There is a portrait photo of Dr. Lin Tian on the right side of the image. On the left side, the text reads, "People Behind the Science, Episode 757 with Dr. Lin Tian, 2024 #YearInReview." The People Behind the Science logo appears in the background, and there are decorative vertical wavy lines separating the two halves of the image.

Earlier this year, @lintianphd.bsky.social joined us to talk about herself & her work on novel optical & molecular tools that can help us characterize neural signaling & find new treatment targets for neuropsychiatric disorders.
www.peoplebehindthescience.com/dr-lin-tian/
#YearInReview #scicomm 👩‍🔬 🧠📈

As we wrap up another great year, the annual Tian Lab retreat was the perfect opportunity to reconnect, reflect on our successes & spend quality time together as a team 🌟

Feeling grateful for all we’ve achieved this year and looking forward to all that’s ahead in 2025!

Last week, I had the pleasure of sharing our latest work at the Stanford Biology Seminar Series 🔬✨

It was wonderful to meet faculty and trainees—special thanks to Shannon Yan for hosting and the Department of Biology for making it such a fun & engaging visit!

The Tian Lab had a blast conquering an escape room last week! 🧩🕵️

Teams “Deep Seaquencing” & “Uncaging Me” faced off to practice teamwork & problem-solving skills.

Breaking up the routine with activities like this strengthens our group and elevates our science!

Looking forward to the 2024 Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience meeting at UNC this week 🧠 🔬

Especially excited to give a talk alongside such a talented group of scientists. Check out our session on Wednesday @1:30pm!