Rate My Professor Rhys Livingstone

Dr. Rhys Livingstone earned his Bachelor of Science with Honours in Neuroscience and Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience from the University of Otago, where he was based in the Department of Anatomy. His PhD thesis, completed in 2020 and titled "The role of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors and arc in secreted amyloid precursor protein alpha-mediated plasticity," explored the molecular underpinnings of memory processes. Mentored by Associate Professor Joanna Williams as part of the Brain Health Research Centre, Livingstone's research centered on secreted amyloid precursor protein-alpha (sAPPα), a neuroprotective protein that boosts memory by protecting neurons from toxins and promoting synaptic changes. He investigated how sAPPα influences the expression of receptors on neuronal membranes, including the synthesis of new receptors, to understand healthy brain function and potential treatments for memory loss disorders.

Livingstone has authored significant publications in the field, such as "Secreted Amyloid Precursor Protein-Alpha Promotes Arc Protein Synthesis in Hippocampal Neurons" published in Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience in 2019, which has garnered 35 citations, and "SECRETED AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN-ALPHA ENHANCES LTP THROUGH THE SYNTHESIS AND TRAFFICKING OF Ca²⁺-PERMEABLE AMPA RECEPTORS" in 2021 with 24 citations. His research interests encompass neurobiology, synaptic plasticity, molecular neuroscience, neurodegeneration, cellular neuroscience, neurodegenerative diseases, and neuroprotection. He has demonstrated expertise in techniques including immunohistochemistry and cell culture. Livingstone received the Helen Rosa Thacker Scholarship in Neurological Research in 2019, supporting his PhD completion amid the COVID-19 challenges, jointly won the best PhD student poster award at the 2020 Brain Health Research Centre lecture and poster session, and obtained a travel grant from the Neurological Foundation in 2022. He has also served as an advisor or supervisor for master's and doctoral theses in Anatomy at Otago. Presently, Dr. Livingstone is a postdoctoral researcher who joined the Donlin-Asp Lab at the University of Edinburgh in September 2023, focusing on protein synthesis and SynGAP1 using super-resolution microscopy.