Research Axis
Brain and Child Development Axis
Research Theme
Neurodevelopmental diseases
Address
CHUSJ - Centre de Recherche
Phone
514 345-4931 7837
Online
Career Summary
Dr. Araya completed his graduate studies with a joint thesis at the Catholic University in Chile and the University of Bonn in Germany. For his post-doctoral training, Dr. Araya joined the laboratory of Dr. Rafael Yuste at Columbia University. He was funded by a Latin American PEW fellow in biomedical sciences and later by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
In 2011, he was hired in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Montreal. Dr. Araya recently joined the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre as an Associate Professor to form part of the Child and Brain Development research axis, with the goal to further establish collaborations and pursue translational work in autism spectrum disorders. His research is well funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and other institutions and foundations.
Dr. Araya's research focuses on understanding how neocortical pyramidal neurons, and the circuitry they reside in, enables sensory processing. More specifically, Dr. Araya is passionate about dendritic computations, and how dendritic spines control the processing, storage, and integration of synaptic inputs. He is extending these questions to neurological disorders to uncover abnormal neuronal and circuit elements via a multifaceted approach that includes a state-of-the-art custom-built in vivo and in vitro two-photon setup with holographic stimulation capabilities and electrophysiological, structural, genetic, and molecular tools.