People

PI: Sharan Srinivasan, MD, PhD

Dr. Sharan Srinivasan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan. He completed his M.D./Ph.D. training at the University of Michigan, where he also completed his Internship in Internal Medicine and Residency in General Neurology. He then pursued a Movement Disorders Fellowship with a focus in Ataxia at Mass General Brigham/Harvard, before relocating back to Michigan in 2022. He completed his postdoctoral research with Drs. Vikram Shakkottai (now at UTSW) and Hank Paulson (UM). He co-directs the UM Ataxia Center of Excellence and is site-PI for the Clinical Research Consortium for the Study of Cerebellar Ataxia (CRC-SCA). Outside of work, he spends time with his wife, two sons, and dog. He enjoys cooking, baking, exercise, and craft brewing.

Staff

Asuman "Ilkim" Erturk, DVM

llkim Erturk received her DVM from Istanbul University in 2001 and manages both the Srinivasan Lab and the Paulson Lab. She an extensive background in longevity studies, particularly involving mouse models of aging. Her enthusiasm for learning and her hands-on experience in performing surgery stems from her experience as an animal veterinarian and extends to mouse models of neurodegeneration. Outside of the lab, Dr. Erturk has a profound passion for the arts and traveling. She is an avid collector of Japanese art and actively serves on the FAAC board at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Her multifaceted interests and dedication to both science and the arts make her a well-rounded.

Isabel Soto, PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow)

Isabel joined the lab in July 2024. She completed her PhD at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, studying the influence of treadmill running in a rat model of Parkinson Disease. She is helping lead studies on various exercise modalities in SCAs.

Emma Palmer, B.S. (Graduate Student)

Emma is a graduated student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program (NGP). She joined the lab in Spring 2025. Her thesis work establishes a mechanistic understanding of how ion channel targeting corrects cerebellar circuitry as a therapeutic in SCAs.