About

Research Interests

I am a fourth-year Neuroscience PhD candidate at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. My research combines computational models of decision-making and invasive electrophysiology in humans to understand how the computations underlying flexible human intelligence are formalized within biologically plausible architectures. My research is co-supervised by Dr. Angela Radulescu and Dr. Ignacio Saez.

Open-Source Software Development

I am a lead developer of NeuroCluster, a Python package for statistical analyses of neural time series. I am passionate about building open-source tools that support high-resolution data analysis, reproducibility, and scalable workflows for cognitive and systems neuroscience.

Science Communication and Outreach

Beyond the laboratory, I am an advocate for science communication and education. I completed a teaching fellowship with Mount Sinai's Center for Excellence in Youth Education and a Community Scientist Fellowship with BioBus. I also served as Co-President of Mentoring in Neuroscience Discovery, Mount Sinai’s largest student-run outreach organization.

Industry and Translational Engagement

Alongside my academic work, I am actively engaged at the intersection of neuroscience, technology, and industry. As an incoming Mount Sinai Innovation Partner's Fellow, I am committed to bringing scientific discoveries to market and developing user-centered innovations that can impact people’s lives. I am also an AI Research Fellow at Handshake, where I contribute to advancing reasoning, accuracy, and safety in LLMs applied to neuroscience knowledge, with the goal of aligning these systems with human goals and values. These experiences reflect my broader commitment to translating scientific insights into tools and frameworks that shape both research and industry practice.

Training

• MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, supervised by Professor Tali Sharot
• BS in Psychology (Concentration: Behavioral Neuroscience and Health Studies), Fairfield University, supervised by Dr. Margaret McClure and Dr. Patrick Kelley

Contact

I am happy to meet with students interested in applying to graduate school or potential collaborators. Please email me at christina.maher@icahn.mssm.edu. You can also find me on GitHub, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Google Scholar.