GRADUATE STUDENTS
Students are the heartbeat of the Neuroscience program. With their energy, creativity and fearlessness, they drive cutting edge research in diverse labs across campus. They are close-knit and supportive through their successes and challenges. Students are highly motivated and compete exceptionally well for national fellowships from NIH and NSF. The program actively recruits minority students, and women make up over half the current student population.
Current Students
| Name | Matriculated | Mentor | Research |
Victoria Chang | 2022 | Rotating | |
Daphne Quang | 2022 | Rotating | |
Maham Haq | 2022 | Rotating | |
Ami Haas | 2022 | Rotating | |
Crystal Minjarez | 2022 | Rotating | |
Jose Riguero | 2022 | Rotating | |
Lisa Hirt | 2022 | Rotating | |
Joy Adler | 2022 | Rotating | |
Kristen Schuster | 2022 | Rotating | |
Paige Hoffman | 2022 | Alexander | My lab focuses on focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) using both resected human tissue of epileptic patients and a mouse model with constitutively active Rheb to produce upregulation in the mTOR complex 1 pathway. My research is focused on the developmental characterization of neuronal migration anomalies and axon proliferation in mTOR pathway-associated malformations of cortical development (MCD). |
Nickole Moon | 2022 | Bale | My research investigates stress-dependent molecular mechanisms underlying the epigenetic and mitochondrial regulation of cellular allostasis. Using a model of paternal stress in male reproductive cells, I study lasting changes in somatic cells and the secreted downstream signals, such as extracellular vesicles, necessary for sperm maturation that influence intergenerational differences in offspring neurodevelopment. |
Graham Peet | 2021 | Macklin | One facet of Multiple Sclerosis is the development of autoantibodies that target the brain. I study the effects of these pathogenic autoantibodies on oligodendrocytes. |
Luke Blecker | 2021 | Bankston/Proenza | I'm interested in the study of ion channels, how their structure relates to function, and how auxiliary proteins interact with ion channels. In particular, I am currently doing work on HCN, the hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide sensitive channels, looking at regulation of the channel by divalent cations. |
Mayra Bueno Guerrero | 2021 | Dabertrand | My research focuses on understanding the mechanisms which cause deficits in neurovascular coupling in Alzheimer's Disease, and trying to restore neurovascular coupling in this disease model. |
Subash Lamichhane | 2021 | Christie | My research is focused on understanding the mechanism of endocannabinoid signaling in cerebellum learning. I use the bottom-up approach to study this mechanism. For my projects, I express biological sensors such as GRAB in cerebellar neurons to test their activities in response to endocannabinoid signaling and use pharmaceutical tools such as DART to manipulate their functioning from brain slices to live-behaving mice. |
Tessa Allen | 2021 | Macklin | My research focuses on oligodendrocyte dynamics in early development |
Aleezah Balolia | 2021 (BSP) | Franco | |
Harrison Ramsay | 2020 | Kennedy | One facet of Multiple Sclerosis is the development of autoantibodies that target the brain. I study the effects of these pathogenic autoantibodies on oligodendrocytes. |
Kim Gagnon | 2020 | Welle | |
Luis Gomez Wulschner | 2020 | Oh | The objective of my doctoral work is to understand the role of neuromodulator systems in synapse development. Specifically, how excitatory synapses mature in the developing prefrontal cortex. |
Madisen Mason | 2020 | Franco | I am developing a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma mouse model using in utero electroporation. The goal of my research is to study how pediatric brain cancer mutations can alter the epigenome to promote tumorigenesis likely alongside normal brain developmental processes. |
Matthew Larsen | 2020 | Bayer | I am interested in the mechanisms of excitatory synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory. Specifically, I study the role of CaMKII in long-term potentiation, and how its functions are impaired in Alzheimer's disease and Down syndrome. |
Matthew Sergison | 2020 | Tollin | I study the effects of aging on circuitry in the auditory brainstem. Specifically, I am interested in how aging can lead to dysfunction in auditory brainstem physiology, and how this could be the underlying cause of age-related impairment of spatial hearing behaviors. |
Becca Roth | 2020 | Aoto | |
Sarah Wolfe | 2020 | Smith | I am interested in understanding synaptic changes during inhibitory synaptic plasticity. I want to understand the mechanisms regulating de novo protein synthesis during late stages of inhibitory long-term potentiation (iLTP). In particular, I am interested in the role of different transcription factors in regulating microRNA (miRNA) expression during iLTP. |
Jordan Hickman | 2020 | Denman | Electrical brain stimulation is a powerful clinical and research tool but how it affects neural activity and circuitry remains unclear. My project seeks to understand the neural response to electrical brain stimulation and its many parameters using high-density electrophysiological recordings in mice. The larger goal is that this may improve current uses of electrical brain stimulation and elucidate new uses. |
Courtney Dobrott | 2019 | Person | My thesis work in the lab of Dr. Abigail Person focuses on how output from the cerebellum contributes to the control of skilled movements such as reaching. Using a mouse model, my project aims to investigate the underlying cerebellar control policies that shape the production of skilled movements. Spanning circuit and behavioral levels, I will develop novel behavioral assays, conduct cell type specific recordings in the deep cerebellar nuclei, and utilize a closed loop kinematic system to alter reaching behavior through optogenetics. |
| 2019 | Siegenthaler | My research focuses on using molecular and bioinformatic approaches to elucidate signaling mechanisms between the meninges and developing brain, and the pathology that occurs in neurodevelopmental disorders. Specifically, I work to understand the cellular 'cross-talk' required for proper neurogenesis and neuron migration. |
Jose Vigil | 2019 | Quillinan | I study learning and memory in the context of neuronal injury. |
Michael Stockton | 2019 | Hughes | I use advanced microscopy techniques to study oligodendrocyte precursor cells and premyelinating oligodendrocytes in living mice. By implanting a glass cranial window and imaging the same region of the mouse cortex over the course of months, we can gain insights into how these cells respond to demyelinating injury, motor learning, and other interventions. |
Robin Vareed | 2019 | Peters | |
Sam Budoff | 2019 | Poleg-Polsky | I am interested in the spatial organization of retinal cells. My main projects focus on 1) quantifying and comparing the spatial distribution of retinal cells across species using machine learning applied to historical data sources, and 2) developing methods for cell type-specific mapping of retinal cells via molecular techniques. The point of all this is that by understanding the spatial statistics of retinal cells, we can see the world through the eyes of other species; in so doing appreciating the elegant computational structures invented by natural selection. |
Keenan Kushner | 2018 | Huntsman | |
Joshua Hunt | 2018 | Poleg-Polsky and Felson | I am characterizing retino-collicular connectivity using cell-type specific 2P optical recordings in whole-retina explants or the superficial layer of the superior colliculus of awake mice. The goal of my research is map retinal ganglion cell subtype to visual behaviors focusing on peri-saccadic suppression of visual sensitivity. |
Jungmin Kim | 2018 | Aoto | I am interested in understanding drug-induced synaptic plasticity. I study the role of neurexins in addiction relevant circuitry. |
Natalie Carey | 2018 | Appel | I am interested in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which oligodendrocytes myelinate axons during development |
Roberto Ogelman | 2018 | Oh | I study the role of serotonin in modulating excitatory synapse development in the mouse prefrontal cortex. I use in vivo chemogenetic and pharmacological approaches to examine how disrupting the serotonergic system affects dendritic spine development, along with electrophysiological and two-photon uncaging approaches to probe the mechanisms by which serotonin can modulate excitatory synapse plasticity. |
Rongchen Huang | 2018 | Welle | I use longitudinal in vivo imaging to study the effects of vagus nerve stimulation on myelin repair with cuprizone demyelination model. This work would inform us the future application of neuromodulation methods and development of new remyelination strategies to treat demyelinating disorders. |
Samantha Bromley Coolidge | 2018 | Appel | I study the interplay between the extracellular matrix and oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the development of myelin and white matter. |
Theresa Welle | 2018 | Smith | My thesis work focuses on understanding molecular mechanisms of inhibitory synaptic plasticity. I am investigating mRNA translation and its role in different forms of potentiation of inhibitory synapses. The overarching impact of this research will provide insight about how neurons strengthen inhibitory synaptic transmission to control cell excitability, sculpt neural circuits, and maintain an appropriate level of excitation throughout the nervous system, which is necessary for proper neural function. |
Juan Santiago-Moreno | 2018 | Denman | My project studies how the mouse visual system represents, transmits, and transforms information about color and form in the visual scene. Specifically, I am interested in how interactions between the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (LGN) and primary visual cortex (V1) represent color spatially, and how that information is propagated further up the visual system hierarchy. To investigate this, I perform awake electrophysiological recordings using multiple Neuropixels probes to capture the activity of hundreds of neurons simultaneously. |
Hannah Actor-Engel | 2017 | Kennedy | I'm interested in molecular changes involved in excitatory synaptic plasticity. Specifically, I'm looking at how acute doses of amyloid beta protein disrupts NMDA receptor function. |
Katlin Zent | 2017 | Dell'Acqua | I am interested in how neurons undergo long-term plastic changes in order to support learning and memory. Specifically, I am investigating how transcription factors are regulated in response to neuronal activity. |
Michael Thornton | 2017 | Hughes | Oligodendrocyte plasticity |
Monica Benson | 2017 | Tollin | I study cochlear synaptopathy, specifically how loud noise exposure affects binaural hearing and hearing thresholds. |
Zoe Owrutsky | 2017 | Tollin | Dissecting the circuitry of sound localization in the auditory brainstem using ontogenetic and electrophysiological techniques in vivo. |
Taylor Yamauchi | 2016 | Felson | Cerebellar influence on orienting movements |
Brigit High | 2016 | Finger | Taste bud function |
Alumni
| Name | Graduated | Mentor | Current Position |
| Emma Boxer, PhD | 2022 | Aoto | |
| Myriam Moreno Garcia, PhD | 2022 | Quillinan | |
| Nicole Rumian, PhD | 2022 | Bayer | |
| Spencer Bowles, PhD | 2022 | Welle | |
| L. Dailey Nettles, PhD | 2022 | Welle | |
| Sarah Zych, PhD | 2022 | Ford | |
| Jesse Gilmer, PhD | 2022 | Person | |
| Dylan Calame, PhD | 2022 | Person | |
| Stephanie Garcia, PhD | 2022 | Freed | |
| Anand Tekriwal, PhD | 2022 | Felsen | |
| Dylan Verden, PhD | 2022 | Macklin | Research Engagement Director, KIF1A.ORG |
| Nicholas George, PhD | 2021 | Restrepo | Scientific Consultant, The BioTeam, Inc. |
| Karlie Fedder-Semmes, PhD | 2021 | Appel | Scientific Grant Writer, EpiCypher, Inc. |
| Francesca Manzella, PhD | 2021 | Todorovic | Postdoc, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis |
| Noah Goodson, PhD | 2020 | Brzezinski | Director, THREAD |
| Shelly Jones, PhD | 2020 | Schoppa | Juvenile Justice Resource Analyst, Colorado Department of Human Services |
| Matthew Becker, MD, PhD | 2020 | Person | Medical School (MD/PhD), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Theodore Doykos, PhD | 2020 | Felsen | Postdoc, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Alison Hixon, MD, PhD | 2019 | Tyler | Medical School (MD/PhD), University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Marisa Deguzman, PhD | 2019 | Frank | Medical Writer, Oxford PharmaGenesis |
| Eartha Guthman, PhD | 2019 | Huntsman | Postdoc, Princeton University |
| Julbert Caneus, PhD | 2018 | Potter | Scientist, Sanofi |
| Courtney Wilson, PhD | 2018 | Kinnamon | Postdoc, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Christy Niemeyer, PhD | 2018 | Person | Postdoc, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Alexander Ferber, MD, PhD | 2017 | Tollin | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Kelsey Anbuhl, PhD | 2017 | Tollin | Postdoc, New York University |
| Andrew Bubak, PhD | 2017 | Swallow | Assistant Professor, Univeristy of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Emily Sharpe, PhD | 2017 | Proenza | Engagement Manager, Trinity Life Sciences |
| Dayton Goodell, PhD | 2017 | Bayer | Postoc, University of Utah |
| Eamon Quick, PhD | 2017 | Tyler | Associate Tutor, Swell Education |
| Elizabeth Gould, PhD | 2017 | Restrepo | Postdoc, UT Health San Antonio |
| John Soltys, MD, PhD | 2016 | Bennett | Neurology Residency, University of South Alabama |
| Mario Lintz, MD, PhD | 2016 | Felsen | Psychiatry Residency, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Christopher Knoeckel, MD, PhD | 2016 | Ribera | Instructor, Univeristy of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Jason Smucny | 2016 | Tregellas | Assistant Professor, Univeristy of California Davis |
| Jennifer Pearson-Smith | 2016 | Patel | Scientific Program Manager, Taconic Biosciences |
| Jared Ahrendsen, MD, PhD | 2015 | Macklin | Resident, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center |
| Ajay Thomas, MD, PhD | 2015 | Brooks-Kayal | Baylor College of Medicine |
| Joseph Zak, PhD | 2015 | Schoppa | Assistant Professor, University of Illinois Chicago |
| Chelsea Corser-Jensen, PhD | 2015 | Heidenreich | Medical Science Liaison, Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc |
| Scott Goulding, PhD | 2015 | Caldwell | Senior Scientist, BioNTech S.S. |
| Vanessa Carmean, PhD | 2015 | Ribera | Chief Commercial Officer, Agathos |
| Tara Carlisle, MD, PhD | 2014 | Ribera | Neuropsychiatry Fellow, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Pirooz Parsa, PhD | 2014 | Vijayaraghavan | Senior Neurology Regional Medical Liaison, Bristol Myers Squibb |
| Jonathan Murphy, PhD | 2014 | Dell'Acqua | Postdoc, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) |
| Daniel Raible, PhD | 2014 | Brooks-Kayal | Field Technical Consultant, Medtronic |
| Jonathon Keeney, PhD | 2014 | Sikela | Assistant Professor, George Washington University |
| Pamela Lopert, PhD | 2014 | Patel | President, Clinical Research Consultant, PNL Clinical Science Consulting LLC |
| Emily Aurand, PhD | 2014 | Bjugstad | Director of Roadmapping and Education, Engineering Biology Research Consortium |
| Shane Rowley, PhD | 2014 | Patel | Senior Scientist, Recursion |
| Kathryn Bercury, PhD | 2014 | Macklin | Medical Science Liaison Lead, TG Therapeutics, Inc. |
| Cecil Saunders, PhD | 2013 | Finger | Assistant Professor, Wake Forest University |
| Kalen Dionne, MD, PhD | 2012 | Tyler | Instructor, Washington University in St. Louis |
| Jennifer Whitesell, PhD | 2012 | Schoppa | Associate Director, Cajal Neuroscience |
| Frances Meredith, PhD | 2012 | Rennie | Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Arisa Oshimoto, PhD | 2012 | Restrepo | |
| Jonah Scott-McKean, PhD | 2012 | Costa | Postdoc, Case Western Reserve University |
| Lisa Wilson, PhD | 2012 | Rojas | Owner, Skriv, LLC |
| Angela Rachubinski, PhD | 2011 | Bjugstad | Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Jennifer Thornton | 2011 | Tollin | |
| Heath Jones, PhD | 2011 | Tollin | Co-Founder, H Squared Capital, LLC |
| Nicole Gravagna, PhD | 2011 | Ribera | Senior Product Manager, Human Centered Design, interviewIA |
| Dianna Bartel, PhD | 2011 | Finger | Senior Scientific Account Director, Ashfield MedComms |
| Faye Doherty, PhD | 2011 | Sladek | IHC Director, Inotiv |
| Sruthi Thomas, MD, PhD | 2010 | Schoppa | Assisitant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine |
| Melissa Wright, MD, PhD | 2010 | Ribera | Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Joshua Ohrtman | 2010 | Beam | |
| Julie Milder, PhD | 2010 | Patel | US Medical Affairs Associate Director, Training and Excellence, Jazz Pharmaceuticals |
| Matthew Pink, PhD | 2010 | Dell'Acqua | Director, Business Developmen, Biodesix, Inc. |
| Eric Neeley, PhD | 2010 | Leonard | Senior Director, IQVIA |
| David Cantu, PhD | 2010 | Patel | Director, Medical Affairs, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals |
| Marc Yonkers, MD, PhD | 2009 | Ribera | Ocuplastic Surgeon, Kaiser Permanente |
| Santiago Farias, PhD | 2009 | Heidenreich | Senior Research Scientist, Gilead Sciences |
| Tianna Hicklin, PhD | 2009 | Browning | Assistant Editor, Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office |
| Clint Perry, PhD | 2009 | Grichtchenko | |
| David Gire, PhD | 2009 | Schoppa | Assistant Professor, University of Washington |
| Monique Beaudoin, PhD | 2009 | Krushel | Associate Research Scientist, University of Maryland Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security |
| Danielle Harlow, PhD | 2009 | Barlow | Senior Medical Director, EMD Serono, Inc. |
| Wilder Doucette, PhD | 2008 | Restrepo | Assistant Professor, Dartmouth |
| Seth Oliveria, MD, PhD | 2008 | Sather | Neurosurgeon, The Oregon Clinic |
| Sarah Stephens, PhD | 2008 | Leonard | |
| Christy Rossi, PhD | 2008 | Artinger | Associate Professor, University of Denver |
| Angela Tollefson | 2007 | Tyler | |
| Brian Gulbransen, PhD | 2007 | Finger | Associate Professor, Michigan State University |
| Michael Gaffield, PhD | 2007 | Betz | Research Fellow, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience |
| Susan Goody, PhD | 2007 | Browning | Senior Director, Head of Toxicology, Moderna |
| Liam Breeze, PhD | 2006 | Sather | Technical Sales Representative, Molecular Devices |
| Dan Sdrulla, MD, PhD | 2005 | Staley | ENT-Otolaryngologist, Denver |
| Christopher Dulla, PhD | 2005 | Staley | Associate Professor, Tufts University |
| Ferogh Ahmadi, PhD | 2005 | Zawada | Senior Marketing Manager, Affymetrix |
| Enrique Alvarez, MD, PhD | 2004 | Freed | Associate Professor, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
| Joyce Rohan, PhD | 2004 | Sather | Research Physiologist, Naval Medical Research Unit |
| Michael Lee, PhD | 2003 | Leonard | Professor, Univeristy of Minnesota |
| Lone Veng, PhD | 2002 | Browning | CEO, ResoTher Pharma ApS |
| Jo Velardo, PhD | 1996 | Zahniser | Director of Research, Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute |