Congratulations to Rayan Saghian

Congratulations to CPIN student member Rayan Saghian (Department of Physiology, supervised by Dr. Lu-Yang Wang) on completing the CPIN requirements and graduating from her PhD program. 

Rayan Saghian is a neuroscience researcher whose doctoral work in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto investigated the macromolecular protein complexes that gate neurotransmitter release in central synapses. As a CPIN student, she contributed to several high‑impact publications, including a Science paper resolving the structure of V‑ATPase in native synaptic vesicles using high‑resolution cryo‑EM, and a Cell Reports study showing how essential lipids enrich membrane‑associated condensates to rescue synaptic deficits in a mouse model of autism. She also authored a book chapter on voltage‑gated calcium channels and synaptic transmission, and published earlier biochemical work in Scientific Reports.

She presented her research at major national and international conferences, including the Society for Neuroscience and the Canadian Association for Neuroscience. Her academic excellence was recognized through the Restracomp Scholarship and the Doctoral Completion Award. Beyond her research, she demonstrated strong leadership within the Graduate Association of Students in Physiology (GASP), serving as Financial Advisor and later Vice President, where she led the organization of the department’s annual Frontiers in Physiology (FIP) Symposium. She also contributed to undergraduate education as a teaching assistant for PSL300 and PSL372.