Maxim Borius Email & Phone Number

San Francisco Bay Area

I drive R&D of new products across hardware, firmware, and software teams and am responsible for company-wide production and QC.- Responsible for build process and SOPs for all of testing and production- Managing and training all production staff - QC of all outgoing products

San Francisco

At Spikegadgets, I have taught myself PCB design, CAD, and rapid prototyping of product electrical and mechanical components. Since joining, I have taken the majority of our products from design to small scale production (including PCB design, micro-controller programming, designing and modeling custom parts, prototyping, coordinating fab overseas, and assembly). As part of the project development and prototyping process, I spend my time:- 3D modeling with AutoDesk's Fusion360 (whether for 3D printing or for manufacture abroad)- running our in-house and out-house 3D printing capabilities- designing circuit boards for a variety of applications using AutoDesk's EagleCAD, including 4-layer boards and flex boards- microsoldering for one-offs and prototypes (0402, BGAs, high-density connectors)- coordinating with customers using beta-phase products for feedback in real-world scenarios

San Francisco

In Nirao Shah's laboratory at UCSF, I worked with several post-docs on a multi-year project. Our long-term goal was to understand the role of progesterone receptor positive neurons in the ventromedial portion of the ventromedial hypothalamus (not a typo, it's a mouthful) in relation to mating behaviors and aggression in mice.With Dr. Cindy Yang, I perfected my immunohistochemistry skills and rapidly learned to apply my working knowledge of xenopus surgery to mice, performing complex viral delivery to minute brain regions.With Dr. Taehong Yang and Dr. Sayaka Inoue, I started addressing the question of how photo and chemical activation of our target neuron population would affect sex-specific behaviors. I began implementing techniques new to the lab, including optical stimulation and electrophysiological recording of neurons in deep brain tissue. Much of my work was done independently, as the lab gave me the freedom to carve out projects to work on as long as they pushed the boundaries of our capabilities. While challenging, I pushed myself to seek out information not readily available in the lab, and learned to troubleshoot the many roadblocks along the way.During this time, I also trained my replacement hire in the many necessary laboratory skills. I learned that mentorship is hard, but the reward is commensurate with the challenge.

Berkeley

Working alongside Dr. Pantoja in Udi Isacoff's lab at UC Berkeley, I was given the opportunity to further hone my understanding of the scientific process. While dabbling in Dr. Pantoja's project of implementing optical control of metabotropic glutamate receptors and calcium imaging in embryonic zebrafish heart tissue, I took up my own independent project of creating a rainbow zebrafish line for the lab to help trace spinal cord progenitor cell development and migration over extended timespans. On the side, I also performed biweekly survival surgeries to harvest xenopus oocytes for the lab's electrophysiology experiments.

San Francisco

As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, Didier Stainier's laboratory at UCSF was a great place to experience the scientific mindset firsthand. I was given the opportunity ask questions that did not yet have answers, and to develop the means to answer them.I worked closely with Dr. Ninov, looking into the development of the pancreas in embryonic zebrafish. Specifically, we studied the progenitor pathways of cell groups critical to understanding the onset of type I diabetes.I quickly acquired many tools of the trade, including confocal microscopy, immunohistochemistry, cloning, and fish husbandry. These skills were critical in furthering my understanding of the life sciences as a whole, and developing my interest in neuroscience in other labs throughout my undergraduate career.