Gist Croft, Ph.D.

Visiting Scientist

Gist joined the Brangwynne Lab and ODBI as a Visiting Scientist in June 2026 to establish human pluripotent stem cell (PSC) models, including of models brain development and function, neurodegenerative disease and aging. He is a cell and developmental neurobiologist, expert in pregastrulation human embryo development, and modeling brain development, function, and neurodegenerative diseases (ALS, AD, HD, PD) with PSCs. He is passionate about n-dimensional imaging, rendering, animation, quantitation, teaching, and outreach. He can advise and collaborate on design and execution of PSC studies, gene editing, directed differentiated and analysis of cells and tissues, disease modeling, bioengineered tissue models like organoids, co-cultures and patterned substrates, functional and disease-relevant neuroscience assays, imaging, rendering and animation, writing and presentation skills.

Gist did his PhD work in neurobiology and behaviour at Columbia University with Hynek Wichterle and Chris Henderson, where he helped established the first induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models of ALS, and developed novel PSC differentiation approaches and functional assays for the spinal motor neurons affected in disease. In postdoctoral training with Ali Brivanlou at the Rockefeller University, he created the first human embryo attachment platform to study human development leading up to gastrulation, and made a human PSC model of Huntington’s disease, showing that pathogenic CAG expansion causes loss-of-function chromosomal instability during forebrain neurogenesis. His lab at the New York Stem Cell Foundation was funded by MJFF and ASAP to study Parkinson’s disease heterogeneity in large donor cohorts, and use precise isogenic models to investigate neuron-glia interactions, neuroinflammation, and alpha-synuclein proteinopathy using co-cultures and brain organoids.