Our Alumni Beyond The PhD
Where I Am Now Heading link
During my graduate studies in the GPN, I investigated the neural correlates of uncertain threat anticipation in internalizing psychopathology and alcohol use disorder. After competing my Ph.D. in 2022, I joined the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University as a Postdoctoral Associate at the Yale Stress Center under the mentorship of Dr. Rajita Sinha. Last year, I was accepted into the prestigious Neuroimaging Sciences Training Program in Substance Use at Yale, a T32 fellowship that integrates advanced coursework and research in human neuroimaging and substance use methodologies. Currently, my research is centered on elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms of uncertainty that contribute to the co-occurrence of chronic pain and alcohol use disorder.
GPN provided me with a strong foundation in both theoretical and practical aspects of neuroscience, essential to my current research endeavors. The Program’s interdisciplinary approach and cutting-edge research facilities allowed me to develop the technical skills and critical thinking necessary for investigating complex neurobiological mechanisms. Additionally, the collaborative environment at UIC fostered valuable connections and mentorship, which have been key in shaping my current research focus on the intersection of chronic pain, alcohol use disorder and uncertainty.
I graduated from GPN in 2022, I continued as a Postdoctoral Fellow at UIC with Dr. Orly Lazarov in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology and Dr. Alex Leow in the Department of Psychiatry at UIC. My research studied how adult neurogenesis and Alzheimer’s disease affect the genetic landscape of cells in the hippocampus using spatial transcriptomics, and also how the functional activity of the hippocampus is modulated using computational analysis of in vivo calcium imaging data in mice. As of summer 2024, I am continuing my training as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Chicago with Dr. Stephanie Palmer in the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and Dr. Jason MacLean in the Department of Neurobiology. My research studies in vivo calcium imaging of mouse motor cortex and behavioral kinematics during reach task to develop computational and theoretical models for understanding how cortical networks control behavior.
During my time as a student in GPN, I had a great community of students and professors that helped develop my interest in interdisciplinary research using neurobiological and computational approaches in neuroscience, and I am excited to continue to further those ideas in my research career.
Since graduating from the GPN program in 2018, I have been working at William Blair, an investment bank, as a biotech equity research analyst, where I have conducted scientific and financial diligence of preclinical and clinical biotech companies. In my current role, I routinely have to analyze scientific literature, ask critical clarifying questions, evaluate others experimental design, and succinctly summarize my conclusions (investment thesis) to others, skills which were empathized and sharpened during my time in the GPN.
Since graduating from the GPN in 2018, I have been working as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern (2018-2021 with Dr. John A Kessler) where I investigated the impact of bone morphogenetic protein signaling on neurogenesis in aging (Bonds et al 2023 eNeuro). In 2021, I returned to UC San Diego as a part of the San Diego Institutional Research and Career Development Award (IRACDA) program to further my Postdoctoral training, as well as receive pedagogical training to teach effectively at the University level. I have worked with Dr. Brian Head on the gene therapy the lab had developed to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis which has received orphan drug approval from the FDA and will be entering human clinical trials in 2025 . I have also worked on projects with Dr. Hemal Patel at UC San Diego studying the physiological impact of meditation (Zuniga-Hertz et al 2023 Brain Behav Immun Health). My independent research is now focused on investigating mitochondrial dynamics in determining neural stem cell fate with particular emphasis on oligodendrogenesis in Multiple Sclerosis. I will pursue this project in collaboration with UC San Diego as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at the University of San Diego (USD) in the Fall of 2025. In addition to my research, I will be a founding member of the newly minted Department of Neuroscience, Cognition, and Behavior at USD. I am extremely excited for the opportunity to incorporate teaching into my research career and cannot wait to see what the data reveals!
Since graduating from the GPN program in 2017, I have been working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania (Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry). My time in GPN provided me with a fundamental understanding of neuroscience as well as highly focused training within my chosen field. I continue to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during my graduate school training as I develop an independent research program aimed at understanding the neural control of feeding behavior and body weight regulation.
Since completing my PhD in the GPN in 2014. For my postdoctoral training, I joined Dr. John Maunsell’s lab at the University of Chicago in 2015 where I worked on questions related to the neuronal basis of visual perception. I also honed my teaching abilities as an Adjunct Professor at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago from 2015-2019. My postdoctoral training was supported by a fellowship from the Arnold and Mable Beckman Foundation and a grant from the NIH BRAINS Initiative. I was recruited as tenure track Assistant Professor to the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary in 2022 and was named a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Computational Behavioral Neuroscience in 2023. My lab integrates aspects of my PhD and postdoctoral training by investigating cortical and subcortical mechanisms that support visually guided behaviors. My CRC protects 75% of my time for research which has empowered us to embark on some ambitious challenges in the field. Beyond the lab, I developed and instruct the first computational neuroscience course in my department and serve as a member of the college of reviewers for the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR).
I am forever grateful for the support I received as a GPN student. I received high caliber mentorship, not just from my advisor, but also from instructors, collaborators, and fellow students. UIC does a lot to support graduate education and I can confidently say I would not be where I am now without the training I received.
After graduating from the GPN, I joined the Mizumori lab at the University of Washington as a post-doctoral fellow. While pursing my research interests, I realized that for my independent career, I wanted to incorporate the passion I had for teaching and mentoring, developed at UIC, with my research program. To position myself for a job at a liberal arts school that took research seriously, I combined teaching as an Adjunct Professor with my post-doctoral studies. I am now a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Seattle Pacific University. Here I feel I have the best of both worlds with about equal effort devoted to teaching and research.
After graduating the GPN in 2013, I took a postdoctoral position at Tulane University in New Orleans. My projects involved examining physiological responses to stress in human subjects. During this time I gained experience working with BioTek plate readers, liquid handlers, and software. After my post doc, I took a job as a technical field sales representative with BioTek Instruments. I have been with BioTek for 5 years now and my favorite part of the job is using my scientific background to help my customers with their research projects. I get to work with a wide range of labs from Biochemistry to Immunology to Molecular Biology to Oncology to Neuroscience (and more)!