Fernandez
                Lab
Join the lab
We're actively recruiting for multiple positions. If you're interested in joining the team, we'd love to hear from you.
NEW! Postdoctoral Position in Neuroscience
Our lab's logo highlights the visual system's role in processing daily light–dark cycles and aligning our internal clocks. The Sun — our primary source of infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light — has shaped life on Earth, and our research explores its profound effects on physiology. The design draws inspiration from Dalà and Giacometti, and reflects our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural identity: the sunlight-spectrum colors echo the many rainbow flags, while the stars are inspired by the symbolic art of the Indigenous peoples of South America.
Fernandez Lab
Ophthalmology Research
Science of Light Center
How light tunes
the brain, mood,
and daily time.
Research Focus
Decoding how rhythmic light signals become stable behavior.
Our research is guided by four integrated questions, linking fundamental circadian biology with clinical models for retinal health, mood, and neurodegeneration.
The retina-brain unit
How do neuronal circuits shape the ways daily changes in light influence mood and learning?
Circadian clock neurons
Can we decode the signaling of the brain's clock neurons to develop new circadian therapies?
Light, feeding,
and metabolism
How do abnormal lighting environments alter feeding and metabolic patterns?
New tools for neurodegeneration
Can we engineer advanced tools, like nanoparticles, to modulate neural activity?
Techniques & approaches
Trainees here build a cross-scale toolkit, moving from the molecular physiology of a single cell to the behavior of the whole animal. Depending on your project, you'll work with:
Molecular & cellular biology:
- Genetic mouse lines
- Bulk and single-cell RNA-seq
- RNAscope
- Rhythmic gene expression
Behavioral neuroscience:
- Circadian phenotyping
- Feeding behavior
- Learning & memory assays
- Mood-related tests
Anatomy & imaging:
- Whole-mount preparations
- Retinal tract-tracing
- Confocal microscopy
- Cell reconstruction
Computational biology:
- Neural coding analysis
- Machine learning for behavior
- Data visualization & modeling
Circuits & physiology:
- Neuronal manipulation
- Fiber photometry
-Â Electroretinography
- Pupillometry
The people
A team that learns by
discussing ideas together.
We embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion, and build our strengths on collaboration.
Diego C. Fernandez, Ph.D
Principal Investigator
Diego is an Assistant Professor at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). He earned his PhD from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, then — driven by a passion for retinal research — trained as a postdoc at Johns Hopkins University, supported by a Pew Latin American Postdoctoral Fellows Award. There he helped define the retina–brain circuits that mediate the direct effects of light on learning and mood. Diego went on to the National Institutes of Health as a Staff Scientist and later Associate Scientist, where he uncovered a link between retinal innervation and the neuronal circuits that regulate feeding. His lab at CCHMC works to translate these discoveries into better therapies and quality of life for people affected by disrupted light and daily rhythms.
Brandon Rahab
Research Assistant iii
Brandon holds a BA in Cognitive Science from Case Western Reserve University and has worked across research environments with both mouse and macaque models. He's interested in the cognitive mechanisms underlying animal behavior, particularly food-seeking.
📧 brandon.rabah@cchmc.org
Hafeezunnisa Mohammed, Ph.D
Hafeeza studies the molecular mechanisms of stress and inflammation in neurons, focusing on responses to environmental stressors. Her work asks how challenges such as disrupted light/dark cycles affect both retinal and brain health.
Shubham Garg, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Shubham designs advanced therapeutics that target circadian transcription factors, testing this physiologically grounded strategy as a novel, more precise approach to treating mood and behavioral disorders.
📧 shubham.garg@cchmc.org
Burgundy Walters
PhD CANDIDATE
Burgundy is a graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at UC. Burgundy studies the mechanisms that coordinate communication between brain centers, working to understand how these networks drive daily rhythmic behavior.
Nicole Torres Santiago
PhD Candidate
Nicole is a Ph.D. candidate in the Development, Stem Cells, and Regenerative Medicine Program at CCHMC. Nicole investigates how environmental stressors affect retinal function, with an emphasis on critical periods of development and on disease.
Rosheeta Shah
University honors program
Rosheeta is a Neurobiology major at UC and a University Honors Program student. Motivated by neuroplasticity and behavior, she joined the lab through the Biomedical Research and Mentoring Program (RaMP).
📧 shah2rt@mail.uc.edu
Ayden King
co-op student
Ayden is pursuing a BS in Biomedical Engineering and an MS in Computer Science at UC. As a co-op student, he applies machine-learning tools to analyze animal behavior, supporting the lab's broader computational work.
📧 king5an@mail.uc.edu
Lauren Wallace and Wu Chen
Grants coordinators
Lauren and Wu keep the lab's science funded — planning grant searches, developing proposals, and steering submissions. We're grateful for their steady support.
📧 lauren.wallace@cchmc.org
📧 wubin.chen@cchmc.org
Media and Useful Links
Media
Useful Links
2nd ISFS, Day 1 – Opening Remarks & Fellow Research Talks Session 1: Neuroscience.
Interested in joining?
Postdoctoral fellows : Send us an email with your CV, a short statement of research interests, and contact information for three references.
NEW! Open Postdoctoral position:
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Prospective PhD students: We recruit through different graduate programs at CCHMC and UC, including the Neuroscience Graduate Program and the Molecular & Developmental Biology and Development, Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine. Reach out before you apply to talk about fit.
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Undergraduates & co-op students: we welcome motivated students; tell us about your interests and availability.
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To get started, email Diego at diego.fernandez@cchmc.org.
