Connor Hilts
Lake Oswego
Summary
Research Assistant with over three years of experience supporting multidisciplinary neuroscience research at Oregon Health & Science University. Specialized in MRI acquisition, neuroimaging analysis, diffusion MRI processing, and quantitative image analysis. Experienced in developing imaging workflows, supporting investigators and collaborators, training research personnel, and contributing to peer-reviewed publications.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
Work History
Research Assistant II
OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY (OHSU)
Portland, OR
10.2022 - Current
- Under minimal supervision, provide MRI acquisition and technical support for multiple neuroimaging studies.
- Develop and optimize complex MRI acquisition protocols.
- Perform advanced structural and diffusion MRI analyses including image registration, ROI quantification, longitudinal image analysis, and voxelwise statistics.
- Assist investigators and collaborators with experimental design, image-processing workflows, data interpretation, and analysis strategies.
- Contribute publication-quality figures and analyses that contribute to manuscripts, grants, abstracts, and reports.
- Facilitate teaching of techniques to summer interns, laboratory personnel, and collaborators in MRI acquisition, image processing, and laboratory protocols.
- Develop automated and semi-automated image analysis pipelines FIJI/ImageJ, MATLAB, and Python.
- Conduct histological workflows including tissue preparation, vibratome sectioning, immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, and image quantification.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Neuroscience, Psychology, Minor in Chemistry
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
Pullman, WA05-2022
Skills
- Neuroimaging & MRI: MRI acquisition, diffusion MRI, DTI analysis, structural MRI, ROI analysis, tensor-based morphometry, voxelwise statistics
- Software: AFNI, FSL, ANTs, DTITK, BTK, SVRTK, ITK-SNAP, FIJI/ImageJ, Arivis, Cellpose
- Programming & Analysis: MATLAB, Python, PRISM, statistical analysis, visualization, automated image processing
- Laboratory Techniques: Immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, vibratome sectioning, live tissue and microtome sectioning, fluorescence imaging, tissue processing, animal handling
Timeline
Research Assistant II
OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY (OHSU)
10.2022 - Current
Bachelor of Science - Neuroscience, Psychology, Minor in Chemistry
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
PUBLICATIONS
- Hilts C, Santiago SE, Kroenke CD, Barnes AP. Loss of Postnatal Retinal Input Perturbs Cortical Lamination in the Developing Ferret Visual Cortex. J Comp Neurol. 2025 Jun;533(6):e70061. doi: 10.1002/cne.70061. PMID: 40549544; PMCID: PMC12978267.
- E. Baetscher, T. Carlson, C. Hilts, et al., “Escalation of Ethanol Drinking in Mice Is Associated With Neurochemical Changes in the Dorsal Striatum,” Addiction Biology30, no. 12 (2025): e70101, https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.70101.