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Maya Bluitt Completed Qualifying Exam on December 16th

March 1, 2023

On December 16th, Maya Bluitt (Besheer Lab) successfully defended and passed her oral qualifying exam! The title of her research proposal is, “Delineating mechanisms underlying individual differences in aversion-resistant alcohol drinking in rats”. Congratulations Maya!!

Felix Kyere Completed Qualifying Exam on September 29th

December 13, 2022

On September 29th, Felix Kyere (Stein Lab) successfully defended and passed his oral qualifying exam! The title of his research proposal is, “Quantifying the Developmental Trajectory of Autism-Associated Brain Overgrowth Using Mouse Whole-Brain Imaging”. Congratulations Felix!!

Olivia Hon Successfully Defended Her PhD Thesis November 9th

December 9, 2022

On November 9th, Olivia Hon successfully defended her PhD Thesis:   “Neuromodulation in the Extended Amygdala Shapes Conditioned Fear Processes”.  Mentor:  Dr. Tom Kash.  After graduation Olivia will be a scientist for Neurophotometrics.  Congratulations Olivia!!

Janay Franklin Awarded NIH F31 Fellowship

September 1, 2022

Janay is a graduate student in the lab of Dr. Kate Reissner and was awarded a two-year NIH F31 Research Fellowship. She received her B.S. in Biology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 2017. Afterward, Janay worked as a NIH PREP post-bac in the lab of Dr. Joyce Besheer in the Bowles … Read more

Maria Ortiz Completed Qualifying Exam on August 23rd

August 24, 2022

On August 23rd, Maria Ortiz (Rodriguez-Romaguera Lab) successfully defended and passed her oral qualifying exam! The title of her research proposal is, “Encoding of social arousal in extended amygdala circuits”. Congratulations Maria!!

Maria Ortiz Named HHMI Fellow

July 28, 2022

Congratulations to Maria Ortiz who has been named an HHMI Fellow!!  Fifty-one graduate students and their advisers are joining the thriving community supported by the HHMI Gilliam Fellowships for Advanced Study. Full article found here.

Christina Catavero Successfully Defended Her PhD Thesis June 21st

June 30, 2022

On June 21st, Christina Catavero successfully defended her PhD Thesis:   “Effects of Alcohol Consumption in the Transgenic Human Tau P301S Mouse Model”.  Mentor:  Dr. Zoe McElligott.  After graduation Christina will be a consultant for ClearView Healthcare Partners.  Congratulations Christina!!

Christiann Gaines Successfully Defended Her PhD Thesis June 9th

June 30, 2022

On June 9th, Christiann Gaines successfully defended her PhD Thesis: “The impact of genetic and non-genetic factors on cocaine locomotor sensitivity in behaviorally divergent inbred mouse substrains: assessing the role of the gut microbiome”.  Mentor:  Dr. Lisa Tarantino.  Christiann will postdoc at UNC in Post Graduate Research.  Congratulations Christiann!!

Luis Quintanilla Successfully Defended His PhD Thesis May 26th

June 1, 2022

On May 26th, Luis Quintanilla successfully defended his PhD Thesis: “Forebrain cholinergic circuits orchestrate the dentate gyrus to support neural stem cell function and spatial memory”.  Mentor:  Dr. Juan Song.  After leaving UNC, Luis will be starting a position with Genentech or Alkahest.  Congratulations Luis!!

Ryan Tyler To Present At Rising Stars Symposium

May 13, 2022

Congratulations to Ryan Tyler who was selected to present at the University of Utah Rising Stars in Neuroscience Symposium on May 16, 2022.  The selection was based on both academic merit and efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia.