Research

Giocomo Laboratory

Stanford Medical School
Neurobiology Department

MSTP Graduate Researcher – 2016 - 2024

Study of the effect of ketamine on grid cells and place cells in the medial entorhinal cortex and hippocampus; head-fixed virtual reality Neuropixels Probe recordings; stereotactic mouse surgery; in vivo electrophysiology; Axona tetrode building; viral knockout of ion channels in the medial septum.

Publications, Posters, & Presentations:

Masuda, F.K., Aery Jones, E.A., Sun, Y. et al. Ketamine evoked disruption of entorhinal and hippocampal spatial maps. Nat Commun 14, 6285 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41750-4

Masuda FK, Giocomo LM (2020, January). Ketamine disrupts and restructures entorhinal-hippocampal spatial maps. 14th Annual Klingenstein Conference, New Orleans, LA.

F. K. Masuda, L. M. Giocomo, Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA. Leveraging neuropixels probes and virtual reality in order to identify the mechanisms underlying ketamine’s effect on spatial coding. Program No. 604.04. 2019 Neuroscience Meeting Planner. Chicago, IL: Society for Neuroscience, 2019. Online.

Masuda, F.K. (2019, May). Leveraging Neuropixels probes & virtual reality to investigate ketamine’s effect on spatial coding. Stanford MSTP Retreat, Santa Cruz, CA.

DATTA LABORATORY

Harvard Medical School 
Neurobiology Department
Undergraduate Researcher – 2012 - 2015

Identification of odorants binding to candidate receptor proteins; DNA cloning to create transgenic mice. Transfection of HEK 293 cells/Tissue culture. Mouse olfactory epithelium and spleen dissection. Confocal microscopy imaging localizing proteins at cell surface. Phylogenetic analysis of target protein families. Single Amino Acid Mutagenesis with Quickchange Protocol. Immunohistochemistry. Functional Calcium Imaging.

Publications, Posters, & Presentations:
Greer P, Bear D, Lassance J, Bloom ML, Tsukahara T, Pashkovski SL, Masuda FK, Nowlan A, Hoekstra H, Kirchner R, and Datta SR. (2016). A Family of non-GPCR Chemosensors Defines an Alternative Logic for Mammalian Olfaction. Cell 165, 1734-1748.

Characterization of a Novel Family of Odorant Receptors associated with Innate Behavior — 2015 National Collegiate Research Conference

Engert Laboratory

Harvard University
Molecular and Cellular Biology Department
LS100r Student – Spring 2013

Two-photon calcium imaging of larval zebrafish’s brain. Larval zebrafish phototactic behavioral assays. Two-photon calcium image data analysis and video processing through using Matlab. Presented in the Life Sciences Combined Poster Session at Harvard.

Rigel Pharmaceuticals

San Francisco, CA
Research Intern – Summer 2010

Therapeutic Target Validation using Molecular Genetic Techniques.

Hosei University 

Tokyo, Japan
Intern – Summer 2009

Purifying hemoglobin subunits with column chromatography.

Work Experiences

IVORY INC.

Co-Founder – 2014 - 2017

Ivory Inc. is an iOS application development company. Current apps in the the App Store include the following: 

Ivory: Piano Sight-Reading Trainer

Website | Download

Ivory is a music education iOS application that listens to you play an instrument, and then provides real-time analytics and motivational tools. Won 1st place at the Harvard Innovation Challenge (i3),  1st place at Harvard’s Dean’s Cultural Challenge, was a finalist at the MassChallenge startup competition, and was awarded over $50,000 in prizes.

PokéProf

Website | Download

PokéProf is a complete guide to battling in Pokemon Go. It includes specific analysis of the strength of your pokemon's moves (DPS), including which moves are best for your Pokémon. It includes a full battle simulator. The simulator tells you how your team will perform against a particular gym, and how to optimally use them in battle. 

Computer Science 171: Data Visualization

Harvard University
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Teaching Fellow – Spring 2014

Course focuses on the analysis and visualization of complex data sets using Javascript, D3, and web scraping with Python. Assists with grading, office hours, and design studios.

EDUCATION

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

MD/PhD 2024. 

  • MSTP Class Representative

  • NIH Medical Scientist Training Program

  • Ears for Peers Mentor

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Graduated - A.B., Magna Cum Laude with Highest Honors in Neurobiology, 2015.
Awards:

  • 2014 Herschel-Smith Harvard Undergraduate Science Research Fellow

  • 3 time Harvard College Research Program Fellow: Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Summer 2013

  • 2015 National Collegiate Research Conference - Honorable Mention in Biology Poster Competition (2nd)- Characterization of a Novel Family of Odorant Receptors associated with Innate Behavior

  • Harvard Varsity Club- 2015 Arthur L. Boland Award

Menlo-Atherton High School

Atherton, CA

Graduated 2011. 
Awards:

  • National Merit Scholarship Winner

  • AP Scholar with Distinction

  • Scholastic All American(USA Swimming)

  • Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award

  • Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship Winner

  • California Scholarship Federation

  • Honor Roll: Principal’s Distinction.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Harvard Men's Swimming and Diving - Varsity Athlete
2011 - 2015

The Harvard Undergraduate Research Journal - Co-Editor-in-Chief
2013 - 2015

Athlete Medical Mentorship Program (AMMP) - Co-Student-Director
2012 - 2015

Veritas Venture Fund - Head of Technology
2014 - 2015

The Harvard Crimson - Online Design Board- News Data Visualization
2012-2013

Freshman Arts Collaborative Experience Showcase - Photoshop Instructor
2012-2013

Web Developer - Created websites for Harvard Swim School and the Technique Swim Camp
2012-2014

Menlo-Atherton Varsity Swimming - Captain
2007-2011
MVP, Most Inspirational, 5 Events League Champion, School Record Holder

Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics - Captain
1999-2011
Junior National Team; USA Swimming Scholastic All-American

SKILLS & INTERESTS

Programming/ Web Design: Proficient in Python, Swift, C, Matlab, Java, PHP, HTML, CSS, Javascript (D3)

Graphic Design: Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (specializing in Photoshop)

Spanish Fluency: Peruvian Mother, Colombian Father