Ashley started her PhD in 2018, after earning a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Boston College and spending two years as a research technician at Massachusetts General Hospital. Now working in the lab of Dr. Beverly Davidson, she utilizes single-cell sequencing techniques to understand selective vulnerability of neuronal subpopulations to neurodegenerative disorders, such as Huntington’s Disease. When she is not in lab, Ashley enjoys her time at local beer gardens, hiking new trails with her two adventurous pups (Jack and Finn), and cooking with her husband."

Stephen graduated from Hamilton College in 2020 with a BA in neuroscience where he was involved in elucidating the role of the rat postrhinal cortex in memory. Following his undergraduate studies, he worked at the National Institute of Mental Health as a post baccalaureate research fellow in the systems neuroscience imaging resource. At the NIH, Stephen was heavily involved in optimizing a whole mouse brain cFos imaging and analysis pipeline, integrating light sheet microscopy and optical clearing techniques to assess brain wide activation in response to nociceptive stimuli and stress.

Lisa graduated from Middlebury College in 2016 with a BA in neuroscience. Before beginning her PhD, she spent three years as a research technician in the Preclinical Pharmacology research program at McLean Hospital, where she worked on behavioral models for validating novel pharmacotherapies. She is currently rotating with Dr. Heath Schmidt, and is interested in reward processing and its role in psychiatric disorders. In her free time, Lisa can be found singing classical music, cooking, or biking.

Research Interest: Auditory neuroscience, Learning & Memory of sensation, Affective neuroscience/Addiction, Electrophysiology, calcium imaging, fiber photometry, computational neuroscience, Neural circuits

Research Interest: Neurodevelopment, hypoxia, congenital heart disease, neurometabolics, neuroimaging, mitochondrial dysfunction, heart-brain axis

Research Interest: Neuroinflammation, neurodevelopment, glial cell biology, and demyelinating disease

Research Interest: Glia, neuroimmunology, gut-brain axis, neurodegeneration, and gene therapy

Research Interest: Brain injury, cerebrovascular disorders, mitochondria, neuroimmunology, therapeutics, with a focus on the pediatric brain; surgery

Research Interest: Neurodevelopmental disorders, neurogenetics, and physiology

Research Interest: Neurobiology of sleep and circadian rhythms (especially on the cellular and circuit level), computational neuroscience, genetics, learning and memory, and addiction

Research Interest: Genetic basis of neuropathology, amyloid-beta, tau, synuclein, TDP-43, co-pathology, pathological heterogeneity, biomarkers, Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, Parkinson's disease

Research Interest: ingestive behavior; gut-brain connection; nutrition; stress; neurobiology of obesity; neural mechanism of hunger and satiety; gut hormones; addiction

Research Interest: Cellular events leading to neurodegeneration, regulation of glial-neuronal and glial-glial interactions, how disruption of cellular or genetic programs in glia can impact disease

Research Interest: Learning & memory, cognitive control, decision-making, human cognition, neurophysiological techniques, cognitive aging, dementia, brain imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, neurodegenerative diseases, neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Research Interest: Genetic and cellular/molecular biology of health and disease, neurodevelopment, neurodegenerative disease, axon guidance

Research Interest: Substance Abuse/Addiction, Learning and Memory, Neuro degenerative diseases, Sleep, Drug development

Research Interest: Addiction, learning & memory

Research Interest: I am interested in behavioral neuroscience, especially systems underlying complex behaviors like social behaviors, communication, auditory perception, learning and memory, and sensory adaptation.

Research Interest: I am interested in the effects of age-dependent cognitive decline and the mechanisms of memory encoding and retrieval. Specifically I would like to work with human data using neuroimaging techniques.

Research Interest: neurodegeneration, neurological disorders, pathology, memory, plasticity.

Research Interest: mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimers/Parkinsons diseases); neuroinflammation and glia; neurogenesis and neurodevelopment

Research Interest: Neurodegeneration, traumatic brain injury, biomarker discovery

Research Interest: Blood-brain barrier, gut-brain interactions, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, neuroimmunology, neural protein aggregation

Research Interest: I am interested in cellular and molecular neurobiology, specifically in neurodegenerative diseases. I am especially interested in AD.

Research Interest: Learning, memory, synaptic plasticity, neurodevelopment, neurodevelopmental disorders, synaptogenesis, circuit formation, axon guidance, axon regeneration, epigenetics

Research Interest: Alzheimer's disease, neurodegenerative diseases, PET and MRI neuroimaging, neuropathology, multimodality research combining imaging and pathology, cognitive and clinical neuroscience

Research Interest: Neurogenesis (both developmental and adult), gene expression patterns in neurons, neuroimmune interactions with astrocytes, genetics and molecular biology of neurodegeneration and psychiatric disorders

Research Interest: Neurological Disorders, Neuroengineering, Neurodegeneration, Neural Repair, Brain-Computer Interfaces, Electrophysiology, Stem Cells

Research Interest: disease pathways and therapeutic options for neurodegenerative diseases, neurological disease modeling using regenerative medicine and stem cell biology

Research Interest: molecular and cellular basis of neurodegenerative disease, particularly Alzheimer’s and other dementias; biomarkers of aging and neurodegeneration; genetic and environmental risk/resilience factors of aging-related disease

Isabelle (she/hers) graduated with a BS in Neuroscience from the University of Oregon in 2022. During her undergraduate career, Isabelle conducted multidisciplinary research in humans and mice to understand autism. Most of her work combined her interest in autism with olfactory research under the guidance of Dr. Matt Smear at Oregon. During her deferral year (2022-2023), she worked at NYU under the guidance of Dr. Shy Shoham on ultrasound modulation on behavior.

In 2023, she adopted Theo, a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier puppy, to train as Service Dog for her own disabilities. She is broadly interested in researching autism spectrum disorder, systems neuroscience, sleep, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Outside of lab, she is passionate about advocating for accessibility within science, teaching others about service dogs, creating art (watercolors and calligraphy), running on the Schuykill river trail, and playing with her service dog in training.

Research Interest: Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Mental Illness, Neurogenetics, Neuroimaging

Research Interest: cellular and molecular neurobiology, specifically in neurodegenerative diseases.

Research Interest: Addiction, neuronal circuits, psychiatric diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, rodent models, translational research, electrophysiology, pharmacology, inhibitory circuits

Research Interest: sleep, Alzheimer’s disease, molecular mechanisms, pharmacology, drug discovery and development, translation, computation/ coding, neurobiology/ molecular basis of disease, cellular and molecular neuroscience

Stephanie graduated from Dickinson College in 2023 with a B.S. in Chemistry and Neuroscience and a minor in Chinese. At Dickinson, she worked in a chemical biology lab under Professor Colin Rathbun, where she synthesized peptides and developed a light-based biosensor to evolve brighter bioluminescent probes. Her other undergraduate research experience involved summers at Penn State College of Medicine in Dr. Kirsteen Browning’s lab, studying the effects of chronic stress on the brain-gut axis, and at Penn, investigating the neurocircuitry of depression in the lab of Dr. Amelia Eisch. Now as a graduate student at Penn, Stephanie is hoping to bring her research experience from both a neuroscience and chemical biology perspective to study neuropsychiatric and memory disorders. Outside of the lab, Stephanie enjoys roller blading along the Schuylkill, crocheting stuffed animals, and exploring the Philadelphia markets and food scene with friends.

Rotations: Yali Zhang

Research Interest: behavioral neuroscience, learning and memory, stress, depression, addiction

As an undergraduate at Boston College, Isabella worked in Dr. Elizabeth Kensinger's lab studying the impacts of emotion and sleep on memory. After graduating with a BS in Neuroscience and a minor in Environmental Studies, she joined Dr. Seun Johnson-Akeju's Neuroanesthesia Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. There, she worked on projects aimed at improving sleep and cognitive outcomes in cardiac surgery patients and elucidating the mechanisms of consciousness using anesthesia and high-field MRI imaging. At Penn, she is continuing her work in 7T neuroimaging in Dr. Kathryn Davis's lab studying medication-resistant epilepsy.

Research interests: multimodal imaging, network disorders, cognition, epilepsy, translational and clinical neuroscience

Research Interest: Biology of affective disorders, emotion, and empathy; schizophrenia; functional imaging (fMRI); neural activity manipulation; translation between clinical and basic science

Tammy graduated from Furman University in 2020 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. Before arriving at Penn, they worked as a research assistant at Boston Children's Hospital optimizing whole mouse-embryo clearing, immunostaining, and confocal/lightsheet imaging of developing cranial nerves as well as automated analysis of imaging data. Tammy is currently interested in studying neural circuit development and axonal regeneration. Outside of lab, Tammy enjoys cooking, playing DND, and going to concerts.

Research Interest: Early life adversity and neurodevelopment, circuit development, neural plasticity. Other broad interests: addiction, stress, PTSD, and selective vulnerability to such conditions.

Research Interest: Addiction, learning, memory, development, molecular neuroscience, behavioral neuroscience, computational neuroscience

Research Interest: Decision making, plasticity, axonal regeneration, and circadian rhythm.

My primary research interests include utilizing human brain-derived organoids to model more abstract learning and memory processes and/or neurodegenerative disorders, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). I am generally interested in the application of regenerative medicine to treatment solutions for these conditions

Research Interest: I'm interested in learning, sleep and neuroplasticity in general.

Research Interest: Neurobiology of disease and behavioral and cognitive neuroscience; specifically, autism and other developmental disorders, schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders, synaptogenesis and circuit formation, and decision neuroscience.

Research Interest: Neuroimmunology, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, stem cell in-vitro models, precision medicine, translational research, Multiple Sclerosis

Research Interest: Cellular and molecular mechanisms of sleep, neuropsychiatric disorders, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Research Interest: Neurobiology of disease, stress, psychiatric disorders, addiction, vulnerability and resilience, circuitry, behavior, translational research, sex differences

Research Interest: emotion behavior cognition learning memory stress anxiety addiction sex differences development neuromodulation TMS fMRI neurofeedback

My primary interests include the cognitive and behavioral study of neurodegenerative disorders, particularly memory disorders like Alzheimer’s and dementia. I am especially interested in using neuroimaging techniques and behavioral assessments to visualize the effects of various interventions for these disorders

Behavioral neuroscience, neuropsychiatric disorders, stress

I am interested in researching the underlying mechanisms related to neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically Autism. More so, I would like to investigate genetics and neuronal development.

Interested broadly in neurological disease and how to unveil the mechanisms behind neurodivergence. Wishes to focus on the translational aspect of research while leveraging electrophysiological techniques.

Masen Boucher graduated from Williams College in 2020. As an undergraduate, she worked with Professor Noah J. Sandstrom studying behavioral outcomes in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Upon graduation, she joined the laboratory of Rebekah Mannix and William Meehan at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she continued her work in TBI. There, she performed translational preclinical research, including investigation of potential therapeutics, neuroimaging techniques, and fluid biomarkers. At Penn, she plans to study neurodegenerative processes more broadly.

Research Interest: Intersection of traumatic brain injury and neurodegeneration, focusing on how early pathological changes, like axonal injury and inflammation, lead to the hallmarks of neurodegenerative disease

Kristen grew up in California and received a BS in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins. As an undergraduate, she studied the molecular mechanisms underlying sleep in Dr. Mark Wu’s lab. Broadly, she is interested in the relationship between sleep and neurodegeneration. She is a classically trained clarinetist and was also a hip-hop dancer in college. 

Anna is broadly interested in understanding the molecular basis for neuropsychiatric disorders. She completed a BS in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology with a minor in Quantitative Sciences at Emory University in 2022. Anna began research in Dr. Mike Epstein's lab at Emory in high school where she studied genetic contributors to the risk of schizophrenia in the presence of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. During her undergraduate career, Anna worked with Dr. Steven Sloan where she studied ligands secreted by neurons that she predicted to influence astrocyte development. Outside of lab, Anna enjoys rowing, rock climbing and watching stand-up comedy. 

Victoria graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and a minor in Mathematics in 2022. She worked in Prof. Ernst Niebur’s computational neuroscience lab, collaborating with Prof. Veit Stuphorn to analyze sEEG data from patients performing the lab’s multi-attribute decision making task. To better understand the interplay between regions during the complex decision process, she performed a cross frequency coupling analysis looking at phase-amplitude modulation. She is interested in continuing to study value-based decision making, especially its interplay with other cognitive processes such as working memory and emotion. Outside of research, Victoria enjoys traveling, soccer, hiking, and photography.  

Mia graduated from Northeastern University in 2021 with a degree in Behavioral Neuroscience. Before arriving at Penn she worked in Dr. Gord Fishell’s lab at Harvard Medical School researching the development and specification of inhibitory interneurons. As a graduate student, Mia is interested in studying the development and cell and molecular underpinnings of psychiatric disorders. Outside the lab she enjoys hiking, traveling, and exploring new restaurants and coffee shops. 

Kerry graduated in 2015 from Wesleyan University with a BA in Economics and Italian Studies. She is interested in using neuroimaging and computational methods to study higher-order cognition in healthy individuals and those with neuropsychiatric disorders. Prior to joining Penn NGG, she worked at Stanford School of Medicine studying language processing and cognition in pediatric epilepsy using TMS-EEG and EEG. She has also worked at cognitive neuroscience labs at University of California, Berkeley, and as a public health investigative reporter in New Orleans. Outside the lab, she loves to write, run, draw, and sing.

Andrew received a B.S. in Cognitive and Brain Sciences from Tufts University in 2019. For his undergraduate thesis, Andrew worked under Dr. Rob Jackson investigating astrocyte-neuron interactions that regulate sleep and circadian rhythms in Drosophila. Before coming to Penn, Andrew worked as a Research Assistant in Dr. Michael Young's lab at The Rockefeller University to study neurogenetics and circadian rhythms in Drosophila. At Penn, hee is primarily interested in studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms of innate behaviors, sleep and circadian rhythms, neurodevelopment, neurodegeneration, and glial-neuron interactions. Outside of science, he enjoys rollerblading, cooking, gardening, dancing, and spending time with his senior dog Bruno. 

Abby received her BA in Psychology from George Washington University in 2016. Following graduation, she completed a Postbaccalaureate IRTA at NIAAA in the lab of Dr. Andrew Holmes. In Holmes lab, her projects focused on neural circuits supporting cognitive flexibility. Most recently, Abby worked in the lab of Dr. Brian Mathur at University of Maryland Baltimore. At UMB, she focused on the neural circuitry underlying action control, motivation, and mood. At Penn, Abby is interested in studying the neural circuitry of social and motivated behaviors and how these circuits are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. 

Anna received her B.A. in Psychology and Neuroscience in 2019 from Williams College, where she studied how TBI influences addiction-related behaviors in rats. After graduation, she worked at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston studying the neuroinflammatory outcomes of anesthesia and surgery in the aged brain. At Penn, she is interested in studying the neural circuitry or molecular basis of psychiatric illnesses using rodent models.

Marc graduated from Haverford College in 2020 with a B.S. in Mathematics and a minor in Neuroscience. After graduation, he worked as a data analyst in the Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress under neuropsychiatrist Dr. Yvette Sheline. He is interested in studying executive function and its relevance in the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders using neuroimaging, machine learning, and causal inference. When he is not in the lab, he enjoys writing music, going to concerts, playing soccer, and exploring Philly with his dog, Barclay.

Rose received her BA in Neuroscience from Wellesley College in 2020, where she studied human memory in the Keane Laboratory. After graduation, Rose worked in the Gan Laboratory at Weill Cornell Medicine researching neurodegeneration and drug development. Rose is broadly interested in memory, neurodegeneration, and developing therapeutic neural interfaces to improve quality of life and restore independence to patients. When not at the lab bench, Rose can be found building bespoke suits (including the neuron-embroidered jacket in her photograph) and elaborate historically inspired costumes--from Elizabethan ballgowns to Tang Dynasty qixiong ruqun. 

Ilona graduated from Georgia State University in 2020 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. Before arriving at Penn she worked for two years as a technician in Dr. Ben tenOever’s laboratory at Mount Sinai Hospital and NYU Langone researching host response and therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2 in hamsters. Here at NGG, Ilona is hoping to bring her research experience from both neuroscience and virology to study neuroimmunology and glial function in health and disease. In her free time, Ilona enjoys playing tennis and working out, trying new food, and exploring cool art and exhibits.

Fernanda graduated with a B.S in Biochemistry from Albright College in 2020. After graduation, she joined Dr. Bruce Hope's lab at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore, Maryland as a post-baccalaureate fellow. During her time in the Hope lab, she helped develop an operant social self-administration model in female CD1 mice. Fernanda enjoys crafting and creating content for her relationship podcast in her free time. 

Serena graduated from Penn in 2022 with a B.A. in Neuroscience and a minor in Creative Writing. Before starting at NGG, she worked on a few projects ranging from the mechanisms of HIV latency in primary CD4 T cells to the efficacy of human neutralizing antibodies against COVID-19. Her most recent work as an undergrad at Penn was with the labs of Dr. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto and Dr. Judith Grinspan, where she studied the role of lysosomal movement in oligodendrocyte differentiation. Now a graduate student at Penn, Serena is interested in the molecular and cellular underpinnings of neurodegenerative disease pathologies. Outside of the lab, Serena enjoys cooking/baking, being active outdoors, creative writing, and painting.

Isadora received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Florida in 2022, where she was a research technician for two years in Dr. Guillaume de Lartigue’s lab exploring molecular and genetic tools to target and activate meal sensitive hindbrain neurons and prevent hyperphagia in high-fat diet-fed mice. At Penn, she hopes to continue researching gut-brain axis communication and its role in the control of feeding behaviors and in the development of eating disorders. Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking, hosting game nights and learning how to dance salsa.

James studied Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology at Emory University and graduated in 2020. Before arriving at Penn in the Fall of 2022, he was a research technician for two years with Dr. Alan Lewis at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, where he contributed to research focused on the connection between the hippocampal dentate gyrus and neuropsychiatric disorders. From this experience, he has developed an interest in circuits and systems neuroscience and is excited to rotate in a variety of labs to determine what specific research area he wants to apply these system techniques.

Audrey majored in psychology and graduated from Yale in 2017. Her undergraduate thesis was on reward processing in individuals with depressive symptomatology. After graduation, she worked at the NIH for two years studying the effects of alcohol use on epigenetic aging. She has rotated with Drs. Ted Satterthwaite, Aaron Alexander-Bloch, and Kathryn Davis. Since joining Dr. Satterthwaite's lab for her thesis work, Audrey is studying the developmental refinement of both structural and functional networks in using diffusion and functional MRI. Outside of school, she enjoys running, music, and spending quality time with friends.

Sophie graduated from the University of Virginia with a BS in biochemistry and a BA in philosophy in 2019 where she worked with Ira Schulman studying transcriptional regulation of inflammation by nuclear hormone receptors. Since coming to Penn, she has become interested in the neural circuit dynamics during various states of arousal and in epilepsy.

Joe graduated from Penn State in 2016 with a BS in Psychology with a neuroscience option. While there he worked in the lab of Dr. Brad Wyble investigating how location information is processed by the attentional system. He subsequently worked as a research specialist in the lab of Dr. Franz Weber here at Penn for 3 years during which he studied neural circuits regulating REM sleep in mice. In grad school he is excited to continue taking a systems level approach to understand how complex neural circuits give rise to behavior, particularly in the context of sleep which remains so mysterious, and potentially across multiple model organisms. When not in lab Joe enjoys reading old school science fiction, playing with his cat Taz, and enjoying life moment by moment. 

Joe graduated from Penn State in 2016 with a BS in Psychology with a neuroscience option. While there he worked in the lab of Dr. Brad Wyble investigating how location information is processed by the attentional system. He subsequently worked as a research specialist in the lab of Dr. Franz Weber here at Penn for 3 years during which he studied neural circuits regulating REM sleep in mice. In grad school he is excited to continue taking a systems level approach to understand how complex neural circuits give rise to behavior, particularly in the context of sleep which remains so mysterious, and potentially across multiple model organisms. When not in lab Joe enjoys reading old school science fiction, playing with his cat Taz, and enjoying life moment by moment. 

Liz studied cognitive neuroscience at Brown University where she did research with Drs. Bill Heindel and Elena Festa on the locus coeruleus, human memory and aging. Post-grad, Liz spent two years as a Research Specialist in the lab of Dr. Anna Schapiro at UPenn studying human memory and sleep. In the NGG, Liz hopes to examine the intersection of human memory, sleep, and aging.

A DC area native, Jake first developed an interest in the brain while growing up with an autistic brother. Although he initially intended to pursue this interest in the context of medicine, he discovered a passion for research while obtaining a BS in Neuroscience at New York University. During his undergraduate research project, Jake developed a quantitative model that links changes in pupil size to cognitive events and created an open source Matlab toolbox for implementing it. Upon graduating in 2017, he spent four years studying the pathophysiology of movement disorders as a post-baccalaureate research fellow at the NIH before beginning his PhD. Broadly speaking, Jake is interested in pursuing work in computational, cognitive, and systems neuroscience during his thesis. A former competitive swimmer, Jake enjoys Olympic-style weightlifting, photography, making coffee, hiking, and learning new things in his free time.

Lilly graduated from Northeastern University in 2020 with a BS in Behavioral Neuroscience. During her undergraduate degree she worked in labs spanning topics of early life stress to systems neuroscience and Alzheimer’s therapy development. As a graduate student she hopes to work in the field of regenerative medicine, developing innovative therapeutics and techniques to help treat injury in the central nervous system.

Corinna graduated from the University of Washington in 2021 with a B.S. in neuroscience, where she studied endogenous opioid circuits driving motivated behaviors in the lab of Dr. Michael Bruchas. Generally, her interests include dissecting circuits underlying mood/affective disorders. Outside of neuroscience, Corinna is an avid Seattle sports fan who also loves cats and cooking.

Keyshla completed her undergrad in the University of Michigan, in her time there she researched neurodegeneration and aging. She continued this line of research and did a post-bac at University of Alabama in Birmingham. She just joined the Cui lab, and her research will focus on potential treatments and neuroprotective agents for glaucoma. Outside of lab she likes running, thrifting, and dancing! 

My name is Emily Meyer, and I am a first year student at Penn's NGG. I went to undergrad at Tulane University where I studied math and neuroscience. Following undergrad, I was a postbac at the NIH where I studied the relationship between eye movements and behavior. I am excited to continue researching visual neuroscience from a developmental perspective in Mike Arcaro’s lab at Penn.

Mariela graduated with a B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from UC San Diego in 2020. During her time there she worked with Dr. Olivia Osborn where she investigated the mechanisms by which antipsychotic medications induce food intake and weight gain. She also worked with Dr. Christina Gremel investigating the neural circuits that control decision-making as well as how alcohol dependence disrupts such circuits. In the summer she rotated with Dr. Matthew Hayes investigating the brain mechanisms that control feeding behavior and nausea and will be rotating with Dr. Marc Fuccillo in the fall where she will investigate the neural circuits that control decision-making.

Morgan received a B.S. in Cognitive Neuroscience and a B.A. in Psychology from Chapman University in 2019. Following, she joined the laboratory of Mario Penzo at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD, where she researched the role of the thalamus in emotional memory. In graduate school, Morgan plans to study the cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying motivated and affective behaviors. 

Ronni graduated from Boston University in 2021 with a B.A. in biochemistry. She is excited to start her research in developmental neuroscience, specifically examining the use of 3D cell culture in studying neural differentiation patterns in individuals with intellectual developmental disorders. Outside the lab, Ronni can be found hiking, singing in acapella, and hanging out with her frog Robert!

Camilo was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. He received his BS in Biology in 2019 from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) and made his undergraduate thesis in the Neuroscience Laboratory at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, where he studied the molecular and cellular mechanisms of impaired cold transduction after chronic constriction injury. After his graduation, he made his master’s thesis in the biophysics and cellular neurophysiology lab at UNAL under Dr. Enrico Nasi and Dr. María Gómez guidance, where he studied the effects of acute lithium exposure on the phosphoinositide signaling cascade in cerebellar primary cultures. His current research interests include the processing of sensory information in the brain, brain circuits involved in sleep regulation, and glia-neuron communication.  Outside of the lab, Camilo enjoys listening to music, watching anime, and walking in search for the best coffee and desserts in town.  

Jessie graduated from George Mason University in 2017 with a BS in Neuroscience. She then worked in the lab of Dr. Mervyn Montiero, studying the role of Ubiquilin2 in protein folding and degradation pathways. Specifically, her lab investigated how mutations of Ubiquilin2 drive the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD). Jessie looks forward to continuing her study of neurodegeneration and the neurobiology of diseases as a student at Penn. Outside of lab, Jessie enjoys playing volleyball, exercising, getting a healthy dose of sunshine, and hanging out with friends.

Misgana graduated with a BA in Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018. After graduation, she joined Dr. Harvey Grill’s lab in the Psychology department at Penn as a research technician. During her three years in the lab, she explored the neuro-behavioral mechanisms mediating the anorectic effects of several pre-clinical and clinical anti-obesity medications. She is interested in the neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying feeding behavior as well as gut-brain interactions involved in food intake control. In her free time, Misgana enjoys brunching and watching Real Housewives (Atlanta and Potomoc) with friends. 

Margaret graduated from Northeastern University with a B.S. in Psychology in 2017. She then worked as a Senior Clinical Research Assistant at McLean Hospital’s Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders Program, conducting clinical trials and translational neuroimaging research. At Penn, she hopes to continue using neuroimaging to investigate the etiology of psychotic disorders.

I graduated with a Neuroscience degree from Michigan State University in 2020. At MSU, I worked in the Mansfield lab. There I worked on various mouse models of the neurological disorder, Guillain-Barrè Syndrome. Additionally, in the summer of 2019, I interned at UCSF. At UCSF, I studied changes in the striatum following chronic treatment with levodopa. This experience solidified my interest in Parkinson's Disease. In graduate school, I want to work on pathogenesis and potential therapies for Parkinson's Disease. 

Marc obtained his M.D. with honors from the University of Barcelona in 2019. During his medical education, he studied under Dr Josep Dalmau the molecular architecture of autoimmune psychosis, using patients’ samples and preclinical models of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marc took a hiatus from his research and worked as an attending physician and a public health consultant in Spain. At Penn, Marc is excited to continue his education as a physician-neuroscientist. His career goal is to translate biologic findings of mental disorders into properly designed clinical trials and, eventually, into tailored therapeutic strategies for patients.   

Tariq graduated from Brown University in 2016 and received his BA in Cognitive Neuroscience.  Before coming to UPenn, he worked on projects ranging from translational research in cancer survivors to longitudinal child cognitive development.  His most recent work has been with Dr. Gilad Barnea at Brown University to develop neural circuit tracing techniques in mice.  The breadth of these experiences has guided him towards his primary interests in understanding how internal states modulate perception.  Outside of lab, Tariq enjoys cooking and playing rugby.

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in neuroscience from Lake Forest College in 2021. During my undergraduate years I did a senior thesis studying Parkinson's Disease by looking at alpha-synuclein protein in yeast model. In my spare time, I enjoy working out, pet-sitting, cooking, eating out, listening to true-crime podcasts and spending time with family and friends. 

Born and raised in NYC, Jafar graduated from Lafayette College in 2019 with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Spanish. He then went on to complete a postbac at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore where he investigated the neurobiological correlates of divergent cognitive aging trajectories in a rodent model of normal aging. During graduate school, Jafar hopes to investigate the neural basis of cognition and behavior using a systems-neuroscience approach. 

Angela studied neuroscience and psychology at Temple University and graduated in 2017. Before coming to UPenn, she served as the manager for the Memory Epigenetics and Addiction laboratory at Temple under Dr. Mathieu Wimmer. She has worked on various research projects regarding transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, early life stress, aging, craving and relapse, and drug discovery to treat substance abuse. Presently she is working on a project that aims to profile the effects of a novel chemokine receptor antagonist on opioid related behavior and corresponding neural substrates. Dedicated to science education, Angela has also spent time teaching chemistry at Temple University. 

Joëlle is broadly interested in brain development and how this may go awry in psychiatric disorders. She completed a BS in Psychology at the University of Lausanne and a MS in Neuroscience at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. She then worked as a research assistant at Dr. Stephan Eliez’s Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab in Geneva, where she studied brain development and risk for psychosis in children and adolescents with 22q11 Deletion Syndrome using structural neuroimaging approaches. During her graduate work, Joëlle plans to use neuroimaging techniques approaches to study the mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders. She is particularly interested in understanding the potential role of sleep as a risk factor in the emergence of mental illness.

I graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a B.A. in psychology. I began my research journey working with human subjects to investigate the relationships between traumatic brain injury, mental illness, and crime. Then I joined a lab at the University of California, Irvine to do research on nicotine and cannabis addiction in mice. Now, at U Penn, I will turn my attention to neuroimmunology to investigate how the immune system and central nervous system interact and effect each other in different disease states. In my free-time I enjoy watching anime, changing up my hair color, and going on walks around the city.

Simon Bohn is primarily interested in how collective activity of neurons can cause the brain to “perceive” something. He received his B.S. from Johns Hopkins University in 2017 with dual majors in neuroscience and political science. He then joined Arash Afraz’s lab at the National Institute of Mental Health where he spent three years investigating the perceptual effects of optogenetic stimulation in macaque monkey inferior temporal cortex, an area of the brain thought to support visual object recognition. Outside of the lab, he is a collector and user of vintage cameras, and enjoys making and consuming coffee and bread. And treating making coffee and bread as another science project. He has yet to find something he is not interested in.

I studied Cellular and Molecular Biology at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. During this time under Dr. Alfredo Ghezzi I studied, in a Drosophila melanogaster model, the epigenetic components of drug related adaptation that happen in the brain. Specifically I studied how acetylation of histones is involved in up regulation of pro alcohol tolerance genes. Although I have not done my first rotation, I did have the opportunity to work under Dr. John Dani during the summer of 2019. I am currently still interested in the field of addiction and understanding the degree of control epigenetic component have on behavior. However I am broadly interested in understanding the nervous system's adaptive capabilities.

Tim grew up in Acton, Massachusetts and ran track and cross-country at Yale. There, he was a molecular biology major and worked in the Strittmatter lab researching the role of prion protein and amyloid-beta in Alzheimer’s disease. At Penn, he works in the labs of Virginia Lee and Christoph Thaiss investigating mechanisms of neurodegeneration.

Hannah graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2019 where she majored in the Biological Basis of Behavior and minored in Hispanic Studies. For two years as an undergraduate and one year as a technician, she worked in the laboratory of Dr. Amelia Eisch where she conducted research on the impact of space radiation on neurogenesis and of opioids on the hippocampus. Additionally, in collaboration with the lab of Dr. Gordon Barr, she studied the impact of prescription opioids on neonates and oral self-administration. Once starting her PhD in 2020 she rotated with Dr. Matthew Kayser, Dr. Michael Hart, and Dr. Thomas Jongens. She joined the Kayser lab in Fall 2021 and is excited to dive into the world of sleep and development. 

Jamie obtained her BA in the Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020. She worked in the Anderson lab for two years researching, in collaboration with the De Raedt lab, the utility of migratory interneuron transplants for the imaging and treatment of Glioblastoma. Jamie loves cats, coffee, and craft beers and will be relying on the joy all these things give her as she continues with her training in the Neuroscience PhD program at Penn.

Felipe studies the neural correlates of social behavior under the co-mentorship of Konrad Kording and Michael Platt.

Emily graduated from the University of Michigan in 2018 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. While at Michigan she studied sleep-dependent memory consolidation in Dr. Sara Aton’s lab. Before starting her PhD, she spent two years working Alkahest, a biotech company that studies how the plasma proteome changes with age and develops therapies for diseases of aging. In graduate school, she wants to focus her studies on neurodegeneration. 

Julia received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Neuroscience from Syracuse University in 2020, where she completed an honors thesis on how ALS-linked mutations affect the behavior of a protein involved in protein quality control. At Penn, she is doing her graduate work in Dr. Erika Holzbaur's lab. Her thesis will focus on molecular mechanisms underlying Parkinson's Disease pathogenesis. Specifically, she is interested in the quality control processes that govern mitochondrial maintenance, protein production, and selective degradation, and how these processes go awry in disease. Outside of lab she enjoys playing ice hockey, doing ceramics, and loves food and wandering around new places.  

Sarah graduated with a BA in neuroscience and psychology from Lake Forest College, IL, in 2018. After graduation, she joined Dr. Yavin Shaham’s lab at the National Institute of Drug Abuse in Baltimore, Maryland as a post-baccalaureate fellow. During her two years in the Shaham lab, she helped develop a rat model of relapse to opioid seeking following voluntary abstinence motivated by a desire to avoid the negative consequences of drug seeking, and explored the neural mechanisms underlying relapse to fentanyl seeking after voluntary abstinence due to an alternative reward. She is interested in the how the brain and gut interact to promote reward seeking and how these mechanisms can combine with environmental factors to render an individual more vulnerable to obesity and overeating. In her free time, Sarah enjoys cooking, baking, singing, being active outdoors, and spending time with friends.

Originally from the Research Triangle, Maeve received her B.A. in Neuroscience at Mount Holyoke College (‘20). While at Mount Holyoke, she worked in the labs of Dr. McMenimen and Dr. Colodner on a thesis project regarding sexually dimorphic stress responses to tau aggregation. Now in the Maday lab here at Penn, Maeve is interested in exploring basic glial biology so as to better understand their contributions to neurotransmission and neurological diseases. Outside of the lab, Maeve enjoys camping, knitting and running around with her dog Tilly.

Sophie received her BS in Neuroscience at the University of Chicago in 2020, where, for her undergraduate thesis in Ming Xu's lab, she showed that a CRISPR-engineered skin graft could serve as a viable systemic delivery mechanism of glucagon-like peptide 1 to prevent cue-induced relapse to cocaine in mice. For the five years prior, Sophie studied genetic, transcriptomic, and behavioral features of cannabinoid and opioid addiction with Teresa Milner at Weill Cornell and Yasmin Hurd at Mt. Sinai, around which time she undertook a minor in philosophy to study phenomenology, agency, and practical reasoning. The synthesis of her research and didactic learning sparked a deep interest in the neurobiology of goal-directed behavior, motivation, and decision-making; the conditions which optimize or compromise them; and the phenomenological and biological distinctions between decision, compulsion, and passivity. At Penn, Sophie hopes to explore these and related topics at the level of neural circuits and behavior. Outside of the lab, Sophie enjoys reading, (informal) dancing, finding new music, long walks outdoors, and exploring new neighborhoods!

Sierra earned a B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Bioinformatics from UCLA in 2018. As an undergraduate, she studied fungal network dynamics in the lab of Dr. Marcus Roper. After graduation, she worked for two years as a technician in Dr. Alex Kolodkin’s lab at Johns Hopkins, studying optic nerve injury. Her current work in Dr. Josh Dunaief’s lab focuses on retinal inflammation and endophthalmitis. 

Sam graduated from George Washington University with a BA in psychology. He has over nine years of experience conducting behavioral, clinical, psychophysiological, and neuroimaging research on human emotion. Sam also has a strong academic interest in wine (holding a WSET Diploma), which he plans to combine with his passion for neuroscience in the study of human smell under the mentorship of Dr. Jay Gottfried. His favorite wine region is Champagne, and he expects to be the designated sommelier for his NGG cohort.

Kyndall received her BS in biochemistry from Hampton University in Hampton, VA. Kyndall is a former DI volleyball player sparking her interests in concussions and traumatic brain injury. In Dr. Cullen's lab she is researching how diet influences post traumatic brain injury damage. Kyndall was born and raised in central Maryland, so she loves to eat crabs, go to Ravens football games, and go on bike rides.

Lindsay Ejoh graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.S. in Neuroscience in 2020, where she conducted a variety of research projects including the relationship between musical ability and second-language learning, protein aggregate formation in ALS, and disorders of the enteric nervous system. Her primary research interests include pain neurobiology, and the gut-brain axis. Lindsay is currently doing her thesis in the Corder Lab studying neural circuits underlying pain relief. In her free time, Lindsay enjoys singing, playing piano and guitar, and watching Netflix. 

Diego graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University in 2017 with a BA in Psychology. Prior to stating his PhD, he spent two years working as a Clinical Research Coordinator, and one year as a funded pre-doctoral research fellow, in Dr. Ted Satterthwaite’s lab here at Penn. While there, Diego trained in computational methods and neuroinformatics, studying functional brain network development in health and disease. Diego joined the NGG in the Fall of 2020, and is advised by Dr. Alex Proekt. Currently, Diego applies machine learning and dynamical systems methods to both scalp and intracranial EEG to better understand normal wakefulness, unconsciousness, and altered states in humans. 

Adama graduated from Kenyon College in 2017 and received his BA in Neuroscience. His undergraduate research with Dr. Joan Slonczewski evaluated the effect of long-term pH stress on GABA neurotransmitter production in E. coli. This work demonstrated that daily dilutions of E. coli in benzoate and salicylate medium, could produce significant effects on molecular pathways implicated in multidrug resistance. For his thesis, Adama expanded on this research through a partnership with Dr. Hewlet McFarlane’s mouse lab. Using next-generation sequencing, he was able to show that daily administration of salicylate in mouse drinking water, could also impact the abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in gut microbiota. Following graduation, Adama joined Dr. Barry Kaplan at the National Institute of Mental Health to study the mechanisms of axonal trafficking by highlighting angiotensin II's involvement in the movement of catecholamine mRNAs. Upon completion of these experiments, he transitioned to studying the neural coordination of innate behaviors in fruit fly with Dr. Benjamin White. Adama’s most recent project employed genetically encoded calcium indicators in conjunction with computational methods to map the pattern of all muscle activations during pupal molting behavior. 

Rae Herman graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a degree in Cognitive-Behavioral Neuroscience. She is interested in the biological basis of behavior and conducted research on neural substrates of nicotine addiction during a year in Amsterdam. In her current rotation in Matt Kayser’s lab, she is exploring autism-associated genes and juvenile aggression. She shares a house with five foster kittens and loves to cook, read, and powerlift.

Julie is from Acton, MA. She graduated in 2017 from Middlebury College in VT, with a B.A. in Biology and a double minor in Spanish and Classical Studies. At Middlebury, she worked in Dr. Glen Ernstrom’s neurobiology lab studying regulatory mechanisms of synaptic vesicle loading and fusion in C. elegans. She then worked as a technician in Dr. Tracy Young-Pearse’s lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, studying the mechanistic underpinnings of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disease in both iPSC and mouse models. Julie joined the Neuroscience Graduate Group at Penn in the fall of 2019 and is interested in both electrophysiological techniques and patient-derived iPSC models of disease.

Vanessa is a Neuroscience PhD Candidate in Naiara Akizu’s lab at CHOP. Her work focuses on uncovering the mechanisms that underlie the pathology behind complex childhood neurodegenerative disorders of the cerebellum. Previously, Vanessa graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

I grew up in Queens, NY and went to Brown University from 2013-2017, graduating with a BS in Neuroscience. Early in my undergraduate career, I became interested in neuroscience and started volunteering in labs in my spare time. I was very curious about the neural mechanisms behind our daily experiences as humans and was in awe throughout my training. More recently, I have become interested in basal ganglia circuitry and the functional role of the basal ganglia in decision making, working memory, motivation, and various complex disease states such as Autism, Tourette's Syndrome, and schizophrenia.

I graduated from Medgar Evers College in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Mathematics. Through the RISE Program, I engaged in epilepsy research at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. I analyzed how ictal central apnea and obstructive apnea episodes occurred in the urethane kainic acid rat model. In 2018, I became a Discovery PREP scholar at The Ohio State University. I  studied synaptogenesis in the zebrafish model by focusing on Mauthner neurons and primary motor neurons. My research interest are neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative diseases. 

Ethan studied neuroscience and computer science at Dartmouth College and graduated in 2017. Before coming to Penn, he was a research technician for two years with Dr. Alik Widge at MGH and UMN, where he contributed to translational research for next-gen deep brain stimulation therapies by developing software to deliver precisely timed neural stimulation in rodents. Now, in Dr. Proekt’s lab, he is continuing with rodent-based research but focusing on the cortical dynamics of task learning and concept generalization.

Greg received his B.A. in the Biological Basis of Behavior with a minor in Chemistry from Penn in 2017. As an undergraduate, he worked in the lab of Dr. Beverly Davidson at CHOP investigating molecular mechanisms underlying Huntington’s disease pathogenesis. Following graduation, he continued working in Dr. Davidson’s lab as a research technician for a year. As a graduate student in Dr. Ophir Shalem’s lab, Greg’s research focuses on using scalable CRISPR-based technologies to study pathways that contribute to neurodegenerative phenotypes, including applying those techniques in novel ways in iPSC-derived neuronal models.

Joseph Gallegos received his B.S. in Microbiology from Colorado State University, where he studied prion diseases. At Penn, he hopes to continue to study the cellular mechanisms which underlie neurodegeneration, as well as join into the growing field of neuroimmunology. He is currently rotating in the lab of Dr. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, where he is optimizing a brain organoid model to study how cellular stress leads to neurodegeneration.

Catrina is interested in studying the neural correlates of behavior and perception by working at the intersection of systems, computational and cognitive neuroscience. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California in May 2019 with a degree in neuroscience. She is currently working with Dr. Nicole Rust to study how neural mechanisms of visual memory flexibly adapt to changing visual contexts. In NGG she writes for Penn Neuro Know and Brains in Briefs and is involved in planning the Neuroscience Public Lecture. Outside the lab she enjoys board games, reading, and walks around Philadelphia.