Headshot of Daniel Aharoni.

Daniel Aharoni

Assistant professor of neurology
University of California, Los Angeles

Daniel Aharoni is assistant professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He received his Ph.D. in physics from UCLA, where he worked in high- and low-energy particle physics before shifting his focus to neurophysics. Aharoni stayed at UCLA for a postdoctoral fellowship under Baljit Khakh, Alcino Silva and Peyman Golshani,  spearheading the technical development of the open-source UCLA Miniscope Project. Aharoni’s lab integrates engineering, neuroscience and physics to create innovative tools that address complex challenges in neuroscience. His research aims to enhance our understanding of neural circuits, advance tool design for neuroscience, and ensure equitable access to pioneering technologies.

From this contributor

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustrated collage of a monkey profile, a gloved hand holding a vaccine syringe touching an outline of the United States with two primates sitting near it, a strand of DNA, and flags of the United States and China in the background.

U.S. national primate research centers face an uncertain future

The facilities were meant to last 100 years. Four decades shy of that mark, amid flatlined funds and mounting political pressure, their directors are trying to find a path forward.

By Calli McMurray
9 October 2026 | 12 min read
Reflections of primates in lab equipment (bottom left: Rhesus macaque, top left: Pig-tailed macaque, bottom right: Crab-eating macaque. top right: Marmoset

What if nonhuman primate research goes away?

As the U.S. government takes steps to stop using nonhuman primates in research, The Transmitter investigates what that shift could mean for neuroscience.

By The Transmitter
9 October 2026 | 2 min read
Illustration of primate hands interacting with objects of cognitive tests.

The neuroscience questions that need nonhuman primates

The Transmitter asked 17 neuroscientists what questions might remain unanswered if support for nonhuman primate research continues to decline.

By Alissa de Chassey
9 October 2026 | 10 min read