DoctorFaya Tashakori Sabzevar

Dr Faya Tashakori Sabzevar is a dedicated neuroscientist with over 15 years of academic research experience, complemented by 8 years of managing and industrial laboratory work. Her research spans neuropharmacology, physiology, electrophysiology, and behavioural neuroscience, and is driven by a deep curiosity about the neural mechanisms underlying psychiatric and neurological disorders. Faya thrives on challenging research projects that have the potential to make a real and lasting impact.

Faya began her academic journey with a bachelor’s degree in general biology before spending eight years as a project and laboratory manager in a commercial setting, supporting scientific research and educational institutions. This period provided her with extensive experience in project coordination, lab operations, and team leadership.

She later moved to Yerevan, Armenia, to pursue a master’s in biomedical biotechnology, with a research focus on the cellular and molecular changes in patients with schizophrenia. Upon returning to Iran, she joined the Pharmacological Research Centre at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, where she led both patent and non-patent neuropharmacology projects, while also teaching and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate students.

In 2016, Faya was awarded a scholarship to undertake a PhD in neuroscience at the University of Otago in New Zealand, where she investigated neural circuits involved in cognition and behaviour. Since completing her PhD in 2019, she has held three postdoctoral research fellowships: two at the University of Otago (in the Departments of Psychology and Pharmacology & Toxicology), and currently, one at the School of Psychology, Hearing and Speech, working with Dr John Dalrymple-Alford and Dr Anna Mitchell.

Faya’s technical expertise includes behavioural testing in rodents, stereotaxic surgery, chemogenetics (DREADD), optogenetics, electrophysiology in freely moving animals, fast scan cyclic voltammetry, galvanic vestibular stimulation, histology, and vascular cannulation. She has supervised more than ten Honours, Master’s, and PhD students, and thrives in collaborative research environments where she can apply her strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Outside the lab, Faya enjoys cycling, kayaking, fishing and exploring Aotearoa New Zealand in her campervan. She is also passionate about community service, having worked as a medical interpreter with Te Whatu Ora and supported refugee resettlement through the New Zealand Red Cross.