Paul Tyagi is a physician-scientist trainee currently pursuing a dual MD/PhD at the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and Florida Atlantic University in partnership with the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. His current research, under the mentorship of Dr. Lin Tian explores optogenetic techniques to dissect circuit-level mechanisms in Parkinson's Disease. Prior to beginning his MD/PhD training, Paul served as a Junior Specialist in the Rijo-Ferreira Lab at UC Berkeley, where he developed an automated bioreactor system to investigate circadian synchrony in malaria parasites. His prior work also includes assay development for infectious diseases and genetic markers at Applied Ingenuity and QUASR Diagnostics. Looking ahead, Paul aims to integrate his training in neuroscience, molecular diagnostics, and clinical medicine to advance translational research in the neurosciences and infectious disease. His long-term goal is to develop novel and financially accessible therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases while leading a research-driven academic medical practice that bridges basic science and patient care. In his free time, Paul is actively involved in community outreach through the Schmidt College of Medicine Band, The Cytokines, which regularly performs at College of Medicine events and local charity functions to raise awareness for a variety of community issues.
