Professor Leena Ali Ibrahim leads the Neurocircuits Lab investigating how sensory experience and development shape inhibitory circuits in the brain. She earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Southern California, U.S., and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, U.S., where she studied the development and function of cortical circuits. In 2022, she was named a Next Generation Leader by the Allen Institute, recognizing her as one of a distinguished group of early-career neuroscientists guiding cutting-edge research in brain science. 

Professor Leena Ali Ibrahim’s research focuses on how neural circuits develop, adapt, and function to shape sensory perception and behavior. Her lab investigates the role of inhibitory neurons, particularly in cortical layer 1, in integrating sensory input with internal brain states across development and in models of neurodevelopmental disorders. She combines molecular profiling, in vivo imaging, optogenetics, and computational tools to dissect the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms underlying experience-dependent plasticity.