Postdoctoral fellow
Daniele is an American Diabetes Association Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Paul Cohen at The Rockefeller University. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Italy, and earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University in the City of New York. During his Ph.D. training in the laboratory of Dr. Lori Zeltser, he studied how distinct subpopulations of sympathetic neurons independently regulate brown adipose tissue function and glycemic control in mice.
In the Cohen lab, Daniele investigates the bidirectional crosstalk between sympathetic neurons and thermogenic adipocytes, focusing on how neural inputs activate adipose tissue and how adipocytes shape their own innervation during development. His research centers on the brain–body axis and aims to leverage the peripheral nervous system to improve metabolic health, with particular emphasis on diabetes. His expertise includes neural tracing and manipulation, metabolic phenotyping, and sequencing-based analyses in mouse models. Outside the lab, Daniele enjoys playing music, card games, upgrading his desktop computer, and spending time with his cat, Cacio.
Areas of Interest/Expertise: Neural tracing and manipulation, metabolic phenotyping, and sequencing-based analyses in mouse models
Fellowships, awards, or major grants: American Diabetes Association Postdoctoral Fellowship
Selected publications:
- Neri D, Lee S, Fohn AM, Chen X, Bozec D, Lafond AJ, Lopatinsky NR, Castro E Souza L, Nair GM, Ramos-Lobo AM, Heine M, Worthmann A, Heeren J, Thaker VV, Gradinaru V, Zeltser LM. Distinct sympathetic projections to brown fat regulate thermogenesis and glucose tolerance. Nat Metab. 2026 Jan 20; PubMed ID: 41559445.
- Neri D, Ramos-Lobo AM, Lee S, Lafond A, Zeltser LM. Rearing mice at 22°C programs increased capacity to respond to chronic exposure to cold but not high fat diet. Mol Metab. 2023 Jul;73:101740. PubMed Central ID: PMC10248272.
- Neri D, Ruberto T, Cord-Cruz G, Porfiri M. Information theory and robotics meet to study predator-prey interactions. Chaos. 2017 Jul;27(7):073111. PubMed ID: 28764408.