Draft:Analisa Sciememi

Introduction
Annalisa Scimemi, born in Tuscany, is an Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Albany.

Early Life and Education
Annalisa Scimemi studied Biological Sciences at the University of Pisa (1993-1998) as a first generation college student. Scimemi then went on to get her PhD in Biophysics, studying rhythmic circuits as they relate to locomotor-like behaviors. Her thesis work focused on the biophysical properties of calcium activated potassium channels in human erythrocytes in Steiner disease. Scimemi graduated in 2001 from the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA/ISAS) in Trieste, Italy where she studied the development of rhythmic circuits.

Career
In 2002, Dr. Scimemi traveled to the United Kingdom to join a lab at University College London. At UCL, Dr. Scimemi studied synapses and neurotransmitter spillover and worked with professors Dimitri M. Kullmann, Dmitri A. Rusakov, Matthew C. Walker, and others.

In 2005, Dr. Scimemi moved to the United States to join the lab of Dr. Jeffrey S. Diamond at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. At NIH, she continued to study synapses, while looking more specifically at the role of neuronal glutamate transporters in hippocampal synapses.

Research
Dr. Scimemi currently studies synaptic structure and transmission, astrocytic control, synaptic transmission, and the synaptic basis of neuropsychiatric disorders using techniques such as electrophysiology, optogenetics, two-photon imaging, and reaction-diffusion computer simulations. Dr. Scimemi's previous research has focused on how the synaptic transmission changes in the hippocampus with the circadian cycles. Dr. Scimemi currently has 52 publications.

Achievements
Dr. Scimemi is currently serving as President and local Chapter Representative for the Hudson-Berkshire Chapter. She also served as a Top Reviewer for the Journal of Neuroscience Editorial Board Committee for the Society for Neuroscience (SfN).

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a grant of $1.24 million dollars for a project led by Dr. Scimemi at the University of Albany. This project focused on using electrophysiology to understand how hormones affect the storage and formation of memories throughout the day. The project was done in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association.

From 2020 to 2022, the Organization For Computational Neuroscience Board appointed her to serve as part of the CNS Program Committee.

In 2013, she was the Chair of the Society for Neuroscience Nanosymposium on Presynaptic Dynamics.

In 2013, she received the Grass Imaging Award from The Grass Foundation.

She was selected as a speaker about Synaptic Transmission at the Gordon Research Conference in 2012.

In 2005, she was awarded the Young Investigator Award by the International League Against Epilepsy.

Notable Publications

 * Scimemi A. (2014) Structure, function and plasticity of GABA transporters Front Cell Neurosci.8:161, https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2014.00161
 * Scimemi A. (2014) Plasticity of GABA transporters: an unconventional route to shape inhibitory synaptic transmission. . Front Cell Neurosci. 8:128, https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2014.00128
 * Scimemi A, Diamond JS (2013). Deriving the time course of glutamate clearance with a deconvolution analysis of astrocytic transporter currents. J Vis Exp. (78), https://doi.org/10.3791%2F50708
 * Scimemi A, Diamond JS (2012).The number and organization of Ca2+ channels in the active zone shapes neurotransmitter release from Schaffer collateral synapses. J Neurosci 32(50):18157-76, https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.3827-12.2012 https://doi.org/10.1523%2FJNEUROSCI.3827-12.2012
 * Scimemi A, Tian H, Diamond JS (2009). Neuronal transporters regulate glutamate clearance, NMDA receptor activation, and synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. J Neurosci 29(46):14581-95, https://doi.org/10.1523%2FJNEUROSCI.4845-09.2009
 * Scimemi A, Beato M (2009). Determining the neurotransmitter concentration profile at active synapses. Mol Neurobiol 40(3):289-306, https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs12035-009-8087-7
 * Scimemi A (2009). The interrelated lives of NMDA receptors and glycine transporters. J Physiol587(Pt 13):3061-2, https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2009.175976