Student Directory

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Isabelle Cullen

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Advisor(s):

  • Jay Gottfried
  • Edward S Brodkin

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.


Cooper Penner

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Eren Kafadar

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Luiselys Hernandez

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Research interests: My previous lab experiences included projects on neuronal protein folding and molecular signaling involved in neuronal survival and regeneration. Broadly, I am interested in studying the signaling pathways of neurodegeneration as well as neuronal injury and survival.


Katherine Dorfman

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Maggie Zhou

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Diane Youngstrom

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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 Uroda (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Isabella Turco

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Research Interest: Learning, memory, higher-level cognition, aging, Alzheimer's, dementia, sleep, dreaming, chronic pain, cognitive neuroscience, neuroimaging, multimodal imaging


Nita Rome

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Tammy Ray (they/them)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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.


Diana Pham

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Marisa Petticord

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Emma Noel

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Delaney McKinstry

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Jordan McKinney

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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.


Alexandra Martinez Lopez

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Casey Koochagian

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Lyndsay Hastings

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Hannah Gura

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Emma Fischer

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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


Jordan Gross

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Behavioral neuroscience, neuropsychiatric disorders, stress


Andrea Edwards-Cintrón

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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.


Abi Chavez

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

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

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

  • Alice Chen-Plotkin
  • Edward Lee

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

 


Isabel Yannatos (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Corey McMillan

My research focuses on how the environment “gets under the skin” to influence cognitive outcomes and aging. I am working on the roles that the neighborhood social environment, air pollution, and DNA methylation play in racial disparities in age-related health. In my career I hope to use research to inform interventions and policy that address health disparities. I graduated from Tufts University in 2015, started my PhD in the Biochemistry & Biophysics graduate group, and changed directions in fall 2020.


Kristen  Park (she/her/hers)

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

  • Alice Chen-Plotkin

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. 


Stephen Wisser (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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.


Anna Voss

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Subritzky Katz

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Sherer (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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. 


Astrid Ramos Rolón

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Kerry Nix (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Nguyen (he/him/they/them)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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. 


Sydney Mason

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Carolyn Mann

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Sabina London

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Abby Lieberman (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Leonard (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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.


Naomi Johnson

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Naomi recently graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During her time there, she worked in Dr. Ben Philpot’s lab which focused on neurodevelopmental disorders and some unique phenotypes if those as well. She has some experience in both behavioral neuroscience with seizure induction models and acquisition/extinction task training. During her time with the NGG program, she hopes to explore her research interest in either neurodegeneration or addiction. Outside of lab, she enjoys cooking, spending time with friends, all things music, and trying new foods.”


Marc  Jaskir (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Horowitz (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Golynker

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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.


Eve Gautreaux

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Fernanda Holloman (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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. 


Ian Diaz Nieves

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Serena  Chen

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Braga

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Bauer

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

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 Luo (she/her)

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Ted Satterthwaite
  • Kathryn Davis
  • Aaron Alexander-Bloch

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 Liebergall

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

  • Ethan Goldberg

Rotations:

  • Max Kelz

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.


Venkata 'Sai' Chaluvadi

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

  • Frederick “Chris” Bennett

Rotations:

  • Frederick “Chris” Bennett
Omer Zeliger

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Minghong Ma
  • Marc Fuccillo
  • Maria Geffen
Joseph Stucynski

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Gregory Corder
  • David Raizen

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. 


Elizabeth Siefert (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Anna Schapiro
  • David Wolk
  • Brett Foster

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.


Jacob Parker (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Long Ding
  • Anna Schapiro
  • Joseph Kable

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 Ryll (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Han-Chiao Isaac Chen
  • Kacy Cullen
  • Michael Granato

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.


Corrina Oswell (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Amelia Eisch
  • Shinjae Chung
  • Gregory Corder

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 Negron Rios (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

  • Qi Cui

Rotations:

  • Jorge Alvarez
  • Christoph Thaiss
  • Qi Cui
  • Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez

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! 


Emily Meyer (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

  • Michael Arcaro

Rotations:

  • Joshua Gold
  • Michael Arcaro

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 Lopez Valencia

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Matthew Hayes
  • Marc Fuccillo
  • Matthew Kayser
  • Amita Sehgal

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.


Aaron McKnight

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Amber Alhadeff
Morgan  Kindel (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Gregory Corder
  • John Betley

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 Kurzion (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Hao Huang
  • Hongjun Song
  • Guo-li Ming

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 Guevara Espitia (he/him/his/él)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Minghong Ma
  • Amita Sehgal

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  Greenslade (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • David Irwin

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  Ghidewon

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Matthew Hayes
  • Amber Alhadeff

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 Gardner (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Ted Satterthwaite
  • David Roalf

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.


Joe 'Bormeh' Faryean

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Kelvin C. Luk
  • Alessandra Chesi

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  Carceles Cordon

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Hongjun Song
  • Alice Chen-Plotkin

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  Cannonier

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Maria Geffen
  • Wenqin Luo

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.


Carris  Borland

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Thomas Jongens
  • Erika Holzbaur
  • Alice Chen-Plotkin
  • Hao Wu

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. 


Jafar  Bhatti

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • Naiara Aquizu-Lopez
  • David Raizen
  • Marc Fuccillo
  • Maria Geffen

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 Bongiovanni

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

  • Julie Blendy
  • Kelly Jordan-Sciutto

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 Bagautdinova

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

  • David Roalf
  • Ted Satterthwaite
  • Aaron Alexander-Bloch

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.


Adriana Hernandez Vasquez (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Akiva Cohen

Rotations:

  • Jorge Alvarez

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.


David  Goldberg

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Wanding Zhou

Rotations:

  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou
  • Shelley Berger
  • Elizabeth Bhoj
  • Hongjun Song

David graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Biological Sciences and a minor in Spanish. After graduating he joined the Burke Neurological Institute in White Plains, NY, where he worked as a research technician in the labs of Drs. Dianna Willis and John Cave. In the Willis lab he worked on preclinical models of peripheral neuropathies such as Charcot-Marie- Tooth disease and spinal muscular atrophy. In these projects he investigated methods of mitigating neurodegeneration by driving the localization of key mRNAs into the axon for local translation. In the Cave lab he studied neurogenesis in the sub ventricular zone, and how the proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitor cells can be modulated with small molecules. At Penn, he is eager to study the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms regulating synaptic plasticity during learning, memory and psychiatric disorders. Outside of the lab David enjoys playing tennis, reading and watching movies. 


Simon Bohn

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Nicole Rust

Rotations:

  • Joshua Gold
  • Maria Geffen
  • Nicole Rust
  • Michael Arcaro

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.


Leonardo  Ramos Rodriguez (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez

Rotations:

  • John Dani
  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou
  • Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez

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 Cox (he/him/his)

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Advisor(s):

  • Virginia Lee
  • Christoph Thaiss

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 Deutsch

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Matthew Kayser

Rotations:

  • Matthew Kayser
  • Michael Hart
  • Thomas Jongens

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. 


Brianna DiSanza (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas
  • Elizabeth Bhoj

Rotations:

  • Edward Lee
  • Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas
  • Judith Grinspan

Brianna received a B.A. in Human Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience from the University of Virginia in 2017. She then accepted a fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH/NINDS) under Dr. Avindra Nath studying the role of Human Endogenous Retrovirus K in HIV-1, ALS, and neurodevelopmental tumors. During that time, she investigated HERV-K in carcinogenesis, characterized the gene expression of atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors, and studied the function of ERV proteins in ALS at various stages of iMN differentiation to establish a mechanism of neurotoxicity. As a PhD student at Penn, she is excited to continue elucidating novel mechanisms of neurodegeneration through genetics and neurovirology in the hopes of identifying more targeted therapeutics. Brianna joined the lab(s) of Dr. Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas and Dr. Elizabeth Bhoj under a co-mentorship researching novel pediatric-onset genes in neurodegenerative disorders to assess the role and mechanism of these newly identified pathways in adult-onset conditions. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, discovering new cooking recipes, and spending time at her family’s farm.


Jamie Galanaugh

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Marc Fuccillo

Rotations:

  • Aaron Alexander-Bloch
  • Marc Fuccillo

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.


Dayne  Martinez

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Advisor(s):

  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou

Rotations:

  • Guo-li Ming
  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou
  • Frederick “Chris” Bennett

Dayne received a B.S. in Biochemistry from Grand Valley State University in 2017. As an undergrad, he researched the transcriptional control of midbrain dopaminergic neuron development in the lab of Dr. Merritt DeLano-Taylor. He rotated in the labs of Drs. Guo-li Ming, Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou, and Chris Bennett. He ultimately joined the Zhou lab where he is working to uncover the mechanisms of seizure development in CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder. During his free time, Dayne enjoys reading and trying new recipes. 


Felipe Parodi (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Konrad Kording
  • Michael Platt

Rotations:

  • Michael Platt

Originally from Buenos Aires, Felipe received his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami, where he studied Neuroscience and Economics. At Penn, Felipe studies the neural and kinematic mechanisms of social primate grooming under the co-mentorship of Konrad Kording and Michael Platt.


Emily Pickup (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Jennifer Cremins

Rotations:

  • Ophir Shalem
  • Konrad Kording
  • Corey McMillan
  • Jennifer Cremins

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 Riley (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Erika Holzbaur

Rotations:

  • Erika Holzbaur
  • Edward Lee
  • Jennifer Orthmann-Murphy

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.  


David  Dai (he/him/his)

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Advisor(s):

  • Edward Lee

Rotations:

  • Frederick “Chris” Bennett
  • Edward Lee
  • Alice Chen-Plotkin

David received a BA in Neuroscience with a concentration in Chemistry from Columbia University in 2017. As an undergraduate, he researched neuroprotective pathways in the context of Parkinson’s disease in Dr. Lloyd Greene’s lab. After graduation, he joined Dr. Sam Horng’s lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and studied the glia limitans’ roles in Multiple Sclerosis pathogenesis. As an MD/PhD student at Penn, he is excited to continue investigating the mechanisms of neurological disorders in the hopes of identifying targets for more effective therapies. He has/will rotate with Drs. Alice Chen-Plotkin, Chris Bennett, and Eddie Lee. Outside of school, he enjoys swimming, running, playing soccer, trying new foods, and FaceTiming his adorable nephew. 


Sarah Applebey (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Matthew Hayes

Rotations:

  • Matthew Hayes
  • Amber Alhadeff

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.


Maeve Coughlan (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Sandra Maday

Rotations:

  • Nancy Bonini
  • Sandra Maday
  • Michael Granato

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 Rogers (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Gregory Corder

Rotations:

  • Maria Geffen
  • Gregory Corder

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 Foshe (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Josh Dunaief

Rotations:

  • Frederick “Chris” Bennett
  • Katherine Uyhazi
  • Jessica Morgan
  • Josh Dunaief

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 Lyons (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Jay Gottfried

Rotations:

  • Joel Mainland
  • Konrad Kording
  • Jay Gottfried

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 Nicholas (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Kacy Cullen

Rotations:

  • David Meaney
  • Kacy Cullen

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

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Gregory Corder

Rotations:

  • Ishmail Abdus-Saboor
  • Gregory Corder
  • Amber Alhadeff

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 G.  Dávila

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Alexander Proekt

Rotations:

  • Michael Platt
  • Alexander Proekt

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 Berndt

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

  • Alice Chen-Plotkin

Rotations:

  • Kelvin C. Luk
  • Alice Chen-Plotkin

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. 


Rachel Herman (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Heath Schmidt

Rotations:

  • Matthew Kayser
  • Mariella De Biasi
  • Heath Schmidt

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.


Michael Iannacone (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Neural mechanisms of radiation-induced fatigue

Advisor(s):

  • Allan Pack, David
  • David Raizen

Rotations:

  • Matthew Kayser
  • John Betley
  • Bart DeJonghe

I graduated from Haverford College with a BS in Biology, and Minors in Psychology and Neuroscience. My research focuses on how the central nervous system controls sleep and fatigue in response to sickness and cellular stress. I use both worm and mouse model organisms to study questions about how viral illness, radiation and inflammation cause the experience of fatigue.


Emma Janke

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Minghong Ma

Rotations:

  • Seema Bhatnagar
  • Shinjae Chung
  • Minghong Ma
Barnes Jannuzi

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Nicole Rust

Rotations:

  • Judith Grinspan
  • John Betley
  • Nicole Rust
Ilenna Jones

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Rotations:

  • Vijay Balasubramanian
  • Guo-li Ming
  • Konrad Kording

Ilenna graduated from Dartmouth College in 2015, where she majored in Neuroscience and specialized in cellular and molecular neuroscience. She worked as a technician in an epigenetic psychiatry lab at Johns Hopkins for 2 years before coming to UPenn for PhD. She rotated in 2 cellular and molecular neuroscience labs and 2 computational neuroscience labs. She decided to take the leap into computational neuroscience and join Dr. Konrad Kording's lab. There she applies machine learning methods and biophysical modeling to learn about neuron functions and synaptic plasticity.


Daniel Kalamarides

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Investigation of inhibitory plasticity in the VTA and its potential as an actionable therapeutic target for opioid use disorder

Advisor(s):

  • John Dani

Rotations:

  • John Dani
  • Maria Geffen
Marissa Kamarck

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2014

Project Title: Probing the olfactory code using antagonists

Advisor(s):

  • Joel Mainland

Rotations:

  • Kacy Cullen
  • Joel Mainland
  • Matthew Hayes
Suna Li (she/her/hers)

Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2015

Project Title: Determining the role of the lateral habenula in pain and itch processing

Advisor(s):

  • Wenqin Luo

Rotations:

  • Amita Sehgal
  • Wenqin Luo

Suna received a B.S. in Biology from Caltech and completed a postbaccalaureate fellowship at the NIH (NIDCD). At Penn, she rotated with Aimee Payne and Amita Sehgal before joining Wenqin Luo's lab, where she studies pain and itch processing in the brain. She is particularly interested in understanding how pain and itch are differentiated in the CNS, and how the lateral habenula, a region important for processing aversive signals, may link pain and itch disorders to common comorbidities such as anxiety and depression.


Caela Long (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Project Title: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) inhibits oligodendrocyte differentiation through de-acidification of lysosomes resulting in lysosomal lipid and myelin protein accumulation in a juvenile rodent model

Advisor(s):

  • Judith Grinspan
  • Kelly Jordan-Sciutto

Rotations:

  • Erika Holzbaur
  • Judith Grinspan

Caela received her undergraduate degree in Honors Neuroscience from Swarthmore College in 2016. For her honors thesis, she investigated the hormonal and molecular effects of restraint stress on formalin-induced pain-like behavior in male and female mice. In addition to completing course work and conducting research, Caela played varsity soccer and lacrosse for the Garnet. After graduating, Caela worked for 2 years at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia investigating the effects of high dose vitamin D treatment on cachexia and sarcopenia in the lab of Jeffrey Roizen. Now a thesis student, she investigates the effects of antiretrovirals and HIV on myelination in a juvenile rat model in the Grinspan and Jordan-Sciutto labratories. You will find Caela walking around Penn’s campus with her yellow lab service dog Vince, the best lab partner ever. Outside of the lab, Caela spends her time paddling up and down the Schuylkill river in her outrigger canoe.


Hannah Loo (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Jennifer Orthmann-Murphy

Rotations:

  • Ophir Shalem
  • Frederick “Chris” Bennett
  • Jennifer Orthmann-Murphy

Hannah is a third-year PhD candidate in the Orthmann-Murphy lab. After completing her Bachelor's in Biology and Vocal Performance at SUNY Geneseo, she spent 2 years as a post-baccalaureate fellow at the National Institutes of Health. Hannah is broadly interested in studying CNS glia-glia interactions, and her thesis work focuses on the role of microglia in cortical remyelination. Outside of lab, she competes as an Olympic weightlifter, takes hip hop classes, and serves as Executive Director of Project SHORT, a non-profit mentoring organization for underrepresented applicants to professional health and graduate programs


Claudia Lopez Lloreda (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2015

Project Title: Mechanisms Regulating Amyloid Processing in HIV-Mediated Neurotoxicity

Advisor(s):

  • Kelly Jordan-Sciutto

Rotations:

  • Kelvin C. Luk
  • Kelly Jordan-Sciutto
  • Akiva Cohen

I obtained my bachelor's degree in cellular-molecular biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus. I rotated with Kelvin Luk at the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, with Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, and with Akiva Cohen. Now I am in Kelly Jordan-Sciutto's lab studying the mechanisms of HIV-related neurodegeneration. 


David Lozano

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Nicole Rust
  • Maria Geffen
  • Franz Weber

David graduated in 2017 from Michigan State University with a BS in Neuroscience and Psychology. While at MSU, he was involved in investigating sex differences in neurogenesis in rodents. After graduating, he began his work as a PREP scholar at the University of Michigan, where he researched the roles specific genes play in neurodegenerative diseases in Drosophila. At Penn rotated in the labs of Dr. Nicole Rust, Dr. Maria Geffen and Dr. Franz Weber.  He  now aims to take a systems level approach that combines experiments and computational modeling to understand the neural circuits regulating sleep in the Weber lab. 


Marissa Maroni (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Erica Korb

Rotations:

  • Corey McMillan
  • Roberto Bonasio
  • Michael Hart
  • Erica Korb

Marissa is a Neuroscience PhD student in Erica Korb’s lab at Penn. She studies how epigenetic modifications in the brain impact neuronal function and how dysregulation of these modifications can lead to disease. Previously, Marissa graduated from Bridgewater State University with a BS in Biology and two minors in chemistry and biochemistry.


Jaffna Mathiaparanam

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Michael Granato

Rotations:

  • Heath Schmidt
  • Kelly Jordan-Sciutto
  • Michael Granato
Kara Mcgaughey

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Ted Satterthwaite
  • Joseph Kable
  • Joshua Gold

Kara graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Duke University, where she studied the influence of social stress on microbial composition and spent months sleeping in a tent for Duke vs. UNC basketball games. During her first year in NGG, Kara tried computational neuroscience just for kicks and has never looked back. She's now working in Josh Gold's lab using physiology and pupillometry to study the interplay between sensation, attention, and arousal. Outside of the lab, Kara enjoys spending time on her yoga mat, running with November Project Philadelphia, and reading books at the dog park with her dog, Moe.  


Julie Merchant (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Ethan Goldberg

Rotations:

  • Ethan Goldberg
  • Guo-li Ming

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.


Michael Murphy

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Rotations:

  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou
  • Hao Wu
  • Elizabeth Anne Heller-Mesznik

Hi I'm Mike, I came to UPenn all the way from Southern California. I completed my undergrad education at UCLA and worked primarily with Kate Wassum studying various circuits, region-specific cell subtypes, and basic chromatin remodeling that underlie learning/memory, habit formation, and addiction. My rotations at UPenn will be with Joe Zhou, Liz Heller, and Heath Schmidt. And right now I'm still interested in continuing along the addiction neuroscience research path to specifically look into how epigenetic changes resulting from chronic stress can impair cognitive functions in a way that predisposes an individual to maladaptive behaviors such as habit formation. 


Maria Navarro

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanism by which dcc promotes peripheral nerve regeneration

Advisor(s):

  • Michael Granato

Rotations:

  • Greg Bashaw
  • Matthew Kayser
  • Michael Granato
Kelsey Nemec (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Jay Gottfried
  • John Wolfe
  • Frederick “Chris” Bennett

Born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, Kelsey received her BS degrees in Neurobiology and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Go Badgers!). Working in the lab of Dr. Chris Bennett, she studies the role of microglia in both healthy and diseased brains, focusing specifically on ways to define microglial identity and refine microglial transplantation. In her free time, Kelsey enjoys being a craft beer snob, re-reading the Harry Potter series, and telling you why the cheese is better in Wisconsin.


Phuong Nguyen

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Kathryn Wellen

Rotations:

  • John Dani
  • Erika Holzbaur
  • Guo-li Ming
Elelbin Ortiz (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2015

Project Title: Molecular-Genetic Mechanisms that Establish the Acoustic Startle Threshold

Advisor(s):

  • Michael Granato

Rotations:

  • Robert G Kalb
  • Matthew Kayser
  • Michael Granato

Elelbin graduated from the University of Maryland Baltimore County with a B.S in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. For her thesis work, Elelbin is studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying regulation of behavior in Michael Granato's lab. Outside of lab, Elelbin enjoys biking, dancing, and finding new places to visit around Philly.


Gianna Perez (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Desmond Oathes

Rotations:

  • Ruben C Gur
  • Desmond Oathes

Gianna graduated from Villanova University in 2019 with a B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. She is a PhD candidate in the Oathes Lab. Her thesis work focuses on determining regions of the brain that change in response to depression treatment and if targeting these specific areas with transcranial magnetic stimulation interventions results in better depression symptom reduction outcomes. As a first generation college and graduate student, she aspires to use her career in Neuroscience to continue to make Neuroscience a more inclusive place for historically underrepresented groups.


Alexandra Perlegos

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Investigating the in vivo role on N6-Methyladenosine RNA modification in Cellular Stress, Aging, and Neurological Disease

Advisor(s):

  • Nancy Bonini

Rotations:

  • Judith Grinspan
  • Nancy Bonini
  • James Shorter

Alexandra received her B.A. in Neurobiology from the University of Pennsylvania. She rotated with Dr. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, and with Dr. James Shorter. She is currently in Dr. Nancy Bonini's lab and focuses on the RNA modification N6-methyladenosine (m6A), and understanding its critical role in cellular stress as well as chronic stress states in the brain, particularly aging and degenerative disease.


Adam Pines

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Ted Satterthwaite

Rotations:

  • Allyson Mackey
  • Kathryn Davis

Adam is a third-year NGG student. After rotating with Allyson Mackey and Kate Davis, he joined Ted Satterthwaite's Lab. He's currently evaluating MRI-assessed neuronal heterogeneity in development and psychiatry.

 


Greer Prettyman

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Daniel Wolf
  • Laura L Peoples

Rotations:

  • Daniel Wolf
  • Caryn Lerman

Greer completed her B.A at Swarthmore College with a major in Neuroscience and minor in English Literature. After graduation, Greer worked as a Research Associate at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development in Baltimore, MD where she used functional neuroimaging and genetics to identify biomarkers for psychiatric drug development. Greer is currently a PhD candidate in Dr. Daniel Wolf’s lab. She is interested in the neural mechanisms underlying impaired social motivation in mental illnesses.


Erin Purvis (she/her/they/them)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Advisor(s):

  • Kacy Cullen

Rotations:

  • Kacy Cullen
  • Akiva Cohen

Erin graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2017 with a Bachelor's of Science in Biopsychology. During her first year in NGG she rotated with Kacy Cullen and Akiva Cohen. She now works in Kacy's Neural Engineering and Neurotrauma Lab, where she is building a tissue-engineered "living scaffold" for targeted neuronal regeneration. Erin is a member of Penn Green Labs and the Penn Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee. She plans to pursue a career in STEM education. Erin loves rock climbing, backpacking, slacklining, playing triathlon, and plants! 


Andre Revell

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Advisor(s):

  • Brian Litt

Rotations:

  • Murray Grossman
  • Ted Satterthwaite
  • Kathryn Davis
  • Brian Litt
Ashley Robbins

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Beverly Davidson
  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou
  • Guo-li Ming

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."


Solymar Rolon Martinez

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: The role of projections from the amygdala to the thalamic reticular nucleus in auditory processing and fear learning

Advisor(s):

  • Maria Geffen

Rotations:

  • Michael Platt
  • Maria Geffen
  • John Betley
Vanessa Sanchez (she/her/ella)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Naiara Aquizu-Lopez

Rotations:

  • Jennifer Orthmann-Murphy
  • Erica Korb
  • Naiara Aquizu-Lopez
  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou
  • Matthew Kayser

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.


Marcos Sanchez Navarro

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Rotations:

  • Amita Sehgal
  • John Betley
Daniel Schonhaut

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Advisor(s):

  • Greg Bashaw
  • Anjan Chatterjee

Rotations:

  • Virginia Lee
  • Danielle Bassett
  • Greg Bashaw
  • Michael Kahana
Amanda Schott

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Franz Weber

Rotations:

  • Hongjun Song
  • Franz Weber
Jessica Schwarz

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Amita Sehgal

Rotations:

  • Elizabeth Anne Heller-Mesznik
  • Amita Sehgal

Jessica grew up in Rochester, NY, and received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania where she majored in Biological Basis of Behavior and minored in Theater Arts.  As an undergraduate, she conducted sleep research in the labs of Dr. David Raizen and Dr. Ted Abel.  In the Fall of 2017, Jessica started graduate school at Penn to pursue her PhD in Neuroscience and rotated in the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Heller.  She joined the lab of Dr. Amita Sehgal in the Spring of 2018 to conduct her thesis work.  Her current work looks at the effect of aging on sleep and circadian regulated processes.


Hannah Shoenhard

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2014

Project Title: Molecular and Circuit Analysis of Behavioral Choice in Zebrafish

Advisor(s):

  • Michael Granato

Rotations:

  • James H. Eberwine
  • Michael Granato
  • Minghong Ma

Hannah graduated from Scripps College with a double major in neuroscience and philosophy. She is conducting her PhD research in the Granato lab, where she studies the genetic basis of a simple sensorimotor decision in larval zebrafish using transgenic approaches, pharmacology, and calcium imaging.


Rebecca Somach (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: The effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Orexin Neuron Function

Advisor(s):

  • Akiva Cohen

Rotations:

  • David Raizen
  • Amita Sehgal
  • Kelvin C. Luk
  • Akiva Cohen
  • Nirinjini Nirmala Naidoo

Rebecca is a 6th year NGG student in the lab of Dr. Akiva Cohen. She is currently studying how concussions affect neurons associated with sleep. She is a huge fan of electrophysiology and understanding neural circuitry. While her work involves sleep she tries not to sleep on the job; she is passionate about making science accessible and easy to understand. That’s why she is proud to have been a TA twice for the introductory neuroscience course, BIBB 109.

She is involved with NGG’s extracurricular activities as a member of GLIA and has participated in Brains in Briefs, the Neuroscience Coloring Pages, the Penn Neuro Know Blog, Kids Judge Neuroscience, Elementary School Outreach, the Neuroscience Public Lecture and Upward Bound.


Nathaniel Sotuyo

Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2013

Project Title: Treatment of epilepsy and associated comorbidities using stem cell-derived interneurons to correct circuit dysfunction in an animal model of Dravet syndrome.

Advisor(s):

  • Stewart Anderson, Ethan
  • Ethan Goldberg

Rotations:

  • Tracy L. Bale
  • Ethan Goldberg
Martha Stone (she/her/hers)

Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Max Kelz

Rotations:

  • Max Kelz
  • Franz Weber

Martha earned BS/MS degrees in Neuroscience from Brandeis University in 2004. Before coming to Penn, she was a professional dancer with a “day job” studying the synaptic basis of taste learning. Her current research investigates the neural mechanisms which underlie emergence from anesthesia. Martha is interested in advancing human and animal welfare by improving access to veterinary care, and volunteers extensively with Rural Area Veterinary Services and other organizations to provide no cost high quality, high volume spay/neuter and medical care to pets living in under-resourced communities. She also founded and directs a targeted trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program in Brooklyn, NY, and fosters stray kittens for adoption.   


Valerie Sydnor (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Project Title: Neurodevelopment of the Association Cortices: Patterns, Plasticity, and Implications for Psychopathology

Advisor(s):

  • Ted Satterthwaite

Rotations:

  • David Roalf
  • Ted Satterthwaite
  • Desmond Oathes

Valerie received her undergraduate degree in Health and Human Biology from Brown University in 2015. Following graduation, she worked for 3 years with Martha Shenton in the Psychiatry Neuroimaging Lab, applying microstructural diffusion imaging to probe affective disorder etiology and the antidepressant actions of ketamine. During her first year in NGG she rotated with her thesis advisor Ted Satterthwaite, as well as with David Roalf and Desmond Oathes, with whom she still actively collaborates. Valerie’s thesis project aims to identify spatiotemporal axes of cortical development using in vivo neuroimaging measures that are sensitive to inhibition, myelination, and spontaneous activity—biological features that mechanistically regulate cortical plasticity. Her project will also investigate links between temporal development of plasticity-regulating features and the emergence of child and adolescent affective psychopathology. Outside of the lab, Valerie spends her time running miles down the Schuylkill and hiking in the Wis, playing Tapper at Barcade, frequenting the Bakeshop on 20th, and trying to fall down rabbit holes to re-create Alice in Wonderland.


Camille Testard

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Michael Platt
  • Marc Schmidt
  • Kevin Platt
Catherine Ubri

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Allyson Mackey
  • Seema Bhatnagar
  • Joseph Kable
  • Akiva Cohen
Luigim Vargas Cifuentes

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Project Title:

Advisor(s):

  • Marc Fuccillo

Rotations:

  • Marc Fuccillo
  • Minghong Ma

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.


Sophia Villiere

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Michael Hart

Rotations:

  • Michael Granato
  • Greg Bashaw
  • Michael Hart

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. 


Alex Wei

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: DNA modification and Pcdh diversification

Advisor(s):

  • Hao Wu

Rotations:

  • John Dani
  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou
  • Hao Wu
  • Roberto Bonasio
David White

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2015

Project Title: Ideal observers of binocular disparity estimation grounded in natural scene statistics

Advisor(s):

  • Johannes Burge

Rotations:

  • Danielle Bassett
  • Vijay Balasubramanian
  • Johannes Burge
Ruthie Wittenberg

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Ventral tegmental area serotonin augmentation as a possible intervention for adolescent nicotine-induced increased alcohol consumption

Advisor(s):

  • John Dani

Rotations:

  • Murray Grossman
  • John Dani
  • Amita Sehgal
Lisa Wooldridge (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Gregory Corder

Rotations:

  • Heath Schmidt
  • Gregory Corder

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.


Dale Zhou (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Danielle Bassett
  • Ted Satterthwaite

Rotations:

  • Joseph Kable
  • Danielle Bassett
  • Ted Satterthwaite

Dale moved from Atlanta, GA to Bethesda, MD as a child, blowing his chance at becoming a true southern gentleman. As consolation, he got a BSc in psychology and BA in philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park, once fluking into 3rd place in a campus-wide table tennis tournament. Weighing his prospects as a professional athlete, he decided to train at the National Institute of Mental Health in neuroscience. On occasion, he tried to escape his ever-northward destiny. One summer, he reportedly biked west across the U.S.— traveling from Maryland to Oregon to help fight cancer. But his efforts proved fruitless; Dale joined Penn's Neuroscience Graduate Group where his doctoral research, advised by Professor Danielle Bassett and co-advised by Professor Theodore Satterthwaite, focuses on computational models of learning and attention, and how these cognitive functions go awry in psychiatric disorders. He hopes to one day search for academic faculty jobs in all cardinal directions. Outside of lab, Dale enjoys reading, music, art, TV & film, gaming, hiking, and maintaining lists of exciting future hobbies.


Jared Zimmerman

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Personalizing neuromodulation of cognitive control through precision intrinsic system mapping

Advisor(s):

  • Roy Hamilton

Rotations:

  • Ted Satterthwaite
  • Desmond Oathes
  • Roy Hamilton
Christopher Adam

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Douglas Coulter
  • Han-Chiao Isaac Chen
Brandon Bastien

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Dennis Kolson

Rotations:

  • Marc Fuccillo
  • Dennis Kolson
  • Seema Bhatnagar
Ethan Blackwood (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Alexander Proekt

Rotations:

  • Konrad Kording
  • Alexander Proekt
  • Vijay Balasubramanian

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.


Connor Brennan

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: How do brains "think"

Advisor(s):

  • Alexander Proekt

Rotations:

  • Alexander Proekt
  • Eleni Katifori
Gregory Cajka (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Advisor(s):

  • Ophir Shalem

Rotations:

  • Erika Holzbaur
  • Erica Korb
  • Guo-li Ming
  • Ophir Shalem

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.


Sydney Cason (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Autophagosomal motility in axons and disease

Advisor(s):

  • Erika Holzbaur

Rotations:

  • Erika Holzbaur
  • Thomas Jongens
  • James Shorter

As a member of Dr. Erika Holzbaur's lab, Sydney studies the function of motor proteins in neurons and autophagy. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Sydney graduated from DePauw University in 2016 and completed an undergraduate thesis the aging auditory system with Drs. Edward Bartlett and Stephanie Gardner at Purdue University.


Yuzhang Chen (he/him/his)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Flavia Vitale
  • Brian Litt
  • Hajime Takano

Rotations:

  • Joshua Gold
  • Maria Geffen

Yuzhang went to the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with honors in Chemical Biology. Prior to starting his PhD in the neuroscience program, he trained as a technician in the Jan Lab at UCSF, where he worked on elucidating the role of orexin neurons in anesthesia under the guidance of Dr. Wei Zhou, a physician scientist. He's currently doing his thesis in the lab of Dr. Brian Litt and Dr. Flavia Vitale. His project revolves around investigating interneuron contribution to and control of seizures. In the future, he hopes to use his research to improve both the understanding of the mechanisms of seizure and the clinical outcomes for epileptic patients.


Jared Collina

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Danielle Bassett
  • Maria Geffen
  • Alan Stocker
  • David Brainard
Daniel Connolly

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou

Rotations:

  • Hongjun Song
Katie Copley (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • James Shorter

Rotations:

  • Erika Holzbaur
  • James Shorter
  • Jennifer Phillips-Cremins

Katie graduated from University of Pittsburgh in 2018 with a B.S. in neuroscience. She is interested in neurodegeneration and rotated in the labs of Dr. Erika Holzbaur, Dr. James Shorter, and Dr. Jennifer Phillips-Cremins.


Mara Cowen

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Michael Granato
  • David Raizen
  • Naiara Aquizu-Lopez

Mara graduated from the South Carolina Honors College at the University of South Carolina (the real USC) in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Developmental Neuroscience. During her graduate work, she plans to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie neurodevelopmental disorders which affect behavior. Mara is co-mentored by Dr. Mike Hart and Dr. David Raizen and is researching  the effect of mutations in the autism-related gene, Neurexin, on aggregation, stress response, sleep, and neuronal morphology in C. elegans as part of the Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence (ASPE). When not in the lab, Mara can be found traveling, baking, binge-watching Netflix, and going to breweries with her new rescue Australian Shepherd, Crispr!


Alexis Crockett

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Rotations:

  • Stewart Anderson, Ethan
  • Jorge Alvarez
Alice Dallstream

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2015

Project Title: Examining the Effects of TMS in Rhesus Macaque on Reward Feedback Processing

Advisor(s):

  • Joshua Gold
  • Michael Platt

Rotations:

  • Marc Fuccillo
  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou
  • Joshua Gold

Alice is a PhD candidate co-mentored by Joshua Gold, PhD, and Michael Platt, PhD. She is studying the little-understood, neural and behavioral mechanisms of transcranial magnetic stimulation, which is a form of neurostimulation used for depression treatment. Her research interests include mental health, decision making, electrophysiology, and computational modeling. During her first year at Penn, Alice completed rotations with Marc Fuccillo, PhD, and Zhaolan “Joe” Zhou, PhD where she worked with mouse models of autism before joining her thesis labs. Alice was a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health where she worked with James Pickel, PhD. Alice received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia where she double-majored in Biology and Psychology.


Ana Defendini

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Rotations:

  • Dennis Kolson
  • Kacy Cullen
  • Adrianna “Anna” Jenkins
Xiaomao Ding

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Maria Geffen

Rotations:

  • Konrad Kording
  • Maria Geffen
  • Joshua Gold
Ronald DiTullio

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Yale E. Cohen
  • Vijay Balasubramanian

Rotations:

  • Josh Dunaief
  • Vijay Balasubramanian
  • Yale E. Cohen

Ron graduated with honors from Boston University in 2014 with a BS in psychology as well as neuroscience.  During his time there and after graduating Ron worked in the lab of Michael Hasselmo studying the neural substrates of memory and spatial navigation in the rodent model.  In particular, he worked on developing novel analyses for analyzing the data collected from recordings of the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus and new theories for interpreting these results.  This ultimately led him to decide to transition from purely experimental work to more computational work.  The broader theme of his thesis work is determining how the brain transforms incoming stimuli into neural representations and how the nature of these representations supports the cognitive and behavioral repertoire of animals.  In his spare time, Ron loves playing guitar, learning new languages, and running.


Dan Dou

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Erika Holzbaur

Rotations:

  • Erika Holzbaur

Dan graduated from Harvard University in 2015, completing an undergraduate thesis in Dr. Venkatesh Murthy’s lab on plasticity of neural circuits in the olfactory bulb. Dan is a 5th year MD/PhD student at Penn. For his thesis work in Dr. Erika Holzbaur’s lab, he is studying mechanisms of axonal transport deficits associated with Parkinson’s disease.”


Rachel Ceron

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Robert Heuckeroth

Rotations:

  • Robert Heuckeroth
  • Edward Lee
Darrell Eacret

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Acute sleep loss-induced metabolic alterations in conoaminergic wake-activated neurons and rapid onset antidepressant effects

Advisor(s):

  • Julie Blendy

Rotations:

  • John Betley
  • Julie Blendy
  • Amelia Eisch

Graduated from Emory University with a BS in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology, was a technician in the Bhatnagar lab at CHOP for 2 years working on stress resilience, rotated with Nick Betley and Amelia Eisch and joined the lab of Julie Blendy working on the behavioral genetics of drug addiction.


Emily Feierman Hyatt (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Project Title: Uncovering the regulation and function of histone variant H2BE in neurons

Advisor(s):

  • Erica Korb

Rotations:

  • Marc Fuccillo
  • Seema Bhatnagar
  • Erica Korb

Emily received her B.A. in Neuroscience from Barnard College in 2015, where she conducted research with Dr. Peter Balsam. After graduating, Emily worked for 3 years as a research assistant in the lab of Dr. Sidney Strickland at The Rockefeller University. In the Korb lab, her work looks at how histone variants in the brain affect everything from neuronal function to animal behavior.


Sarah Ferrigno

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Marc Fuccillo

Rotations:

  • Nirinjini Nirmala Naidoo
  • Marc Fuccillo
  • Frances Jensen
Logan Fickling

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Advisor(s):

  • Michael Nusbaum

Rotations:

  • Akiva Cohen
  • Michael Kahana
  • Matthew Kayser
Delaney Fischer

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2017

Advisor(s):

  • Joshua Gold

Rotations:

  • Amelia Eisch
  • Zhaolan "Joe" Zhou

Delaney received a B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior with a Chemistry minor from Vassar College in 2015. She completed her undergraduate honors thesis research investigating how pesticides effect the honeybee brain in the laboratory of Dr. Kathleen Susman. Upon graduating, Delaney became a research technician at Weill Cornell Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. Anjali M. Rajadhyaksha working on projects involving intellectual disability, paternal cocaine exposure, and the role of the L-type calcium channel Cav1.2 in neuropsychiatric disorders. In the summer of 2017, Delaney started in the Neuroscience Graduate Group at Penn. Delaney is completing her thesis work in Dr. Elizabeth Heller’s Lab and uses rodent models to study the role of epigenetics in cocaine addiction. Delaney also serves as GLIA's Public Relations Chair. In addition to overseeing the online presence of GLIA and the Neuroscience Graduate Group’s facebook, she leads the student side of NGG recruitment, plans Penn’s SFN social, and is involved in community building activities, as she directs Chalk Talks.


Vanessa Fleites (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2015

Project Title: Investigating the long-term consequences of maternal opioid exposure on rodent offspring

Advisor(s):

  • Mariella De Biasi

Rotations:

  • Joseph Kable
  • Mariella De Biasi
  • Seema Bhatnagar
Panagiotis Fotiadis

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Advisor(s):

  • Danielle Bassett

Rotations:

  • Danielle Bassett
  • Max Kelz
  • David Meaney

Panos graduated from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics (concentration: Mathematical Biology). He then moved to Boston and worked at Massachusetts General Hospital as a research technologist focusing on neuroimaging and stroke. At Penn, Panos will be doing his PhD thesis work in network neuroscience, under the supervision of Danielle Bassett.


Evan Gallagher

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2018

Advisor(s):

  • Robert Mach
  • Jacob Dubroff

Rotations:

  • Yvette Sheline
  • John A Detre
  • Robert Mach

Evan is broadly interested in using neuroimaging approaches like MRI and PET to understand, diagnose, and ultimately treat neurological disorders. Prior to arriving at Penn, Evan received his BA in neuroscience from Middlebury College, and also completed a 2-year postbaccalaureate research fellowship at the Molecular Imaging Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. When he is not in lab, he enjoys tennis, skiing, hiking, graphic design, and getting way too stressed about Boston sports teams.


Joseph Gallegos

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Jennifer Orthmann-Murphy

Rotations:

  • Kelly Jordan-Sciutto
  • Jennifer Orthmann-Murphy
  • Sandra Maday

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 Hacker (she/her/hers)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2019

Advisor(s):

  • Nicole Rust

Rotations:

  • Joshua Gold
  • Nicole Rust

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. 


Jennifer Hafycz

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Determining a Role for the Claustrum and Homer1a in the Claustrum in the Regulation of Sleep/Wake Behavior

Advisor(s):

  • Nirinjini Nirmala Naidoo

Rotations:

  • Akiva Cohen
  • Nirinjini Nirmala Naidoo

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