About Our Trainees
Appointment to the NIH funded Training Program in Basic Neuroscience is competitive and in recognition of outstanding undergraduate academic records and research experience. During the first academic year, Trainees take all required courses for the Neuroscience graduate program and complete their laboratory rotations. During the second year, Trainees participate in extra career and professional development courses designed for success in graduate school and beyond. Trainees also receive extra guidance and support from the program leaders to enrich their graduate experience. Our Trainees have a strong track record with many continuing on to successful careers in academia and industry in positions of research, technology, data analysis, education and more.
2025–2026
Taylor Hamel
Faculty Mentor: Xiaomo Chen, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Colton Kelley
Faculty Mentor: Johannes Hell, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Zachary McNaughton
Faculty Mentor: Amanda Guyer, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Shoshana Novik
Faculty Mentor: Jie Zheng, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Cansu Oktem
Faculty Mentor: Wilsaan Joiner, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Darlene Rahbarian
Faculty Mentor: Aijun Wang, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
2023–2024
Teresina Berni
Faculty Mentor: William DeBello, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Audrey Chrisman
Faculty Mentor: Brian Trainor, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Danny Lasky
Faculty Mentor: Nigel Pedersen, M.D.
Email: [email protected]
Mandeep Singh
Faculty Mentor: Kyle Fink, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
2022–2023
Elinor Lewis
Faculty Mentor: Jennifer Whistler, Ph.D. and Christina Kim, Ph.D.
Valentina Cea Salazar
Faculty Mentor: Brian Trainor, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Erin Scott
Faculty Mentor: Lin Tian, Ph.D. and Andrew Fox, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Kendall Stewart
Faculty Mentor: Timothy Hanks, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
2021–2022
Faculty Mentor: Christina Kim, Ph.D.
Awards: National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Email: [email protected]
Connect: Twitter
Faculty Mentor: Cynthia Schumann, Ph.D. and Karl Murray, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Tomas Salter-Cid
Faculty Mentor: David Segal, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn
Erica Varga
Faculty Mentor: Andrew Fox, Ph.D. and Erie Boorman, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
2020–2021
Quimby Lee
Neuroimaging to identify biomarkers for neurological disorders
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Audrey Fan
Email: [email protected]
Jose Marquez
Translational Neuroscience
Faculty Mentor: Qizhi Gong, Ph.D.
Outreach: Seminar Outreach for Minority Advocacy (SOMA)
Email: [email protected]
Connect: Twitter
Savannah Maw
Neural Basis of Affective Disorders
Faculty Mentor: Brian Wiltgen, Ph. D
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn
Tanner Stevenson
Experimental and Computational Neuroscience
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Rishidev Chaudhuri and Dr. Tim Hanks
Awards: Learning, Memory & Plasticity (LaMP) T32
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn Twitter ResearchGate
2019–2020
Joey Charbonneau
Interoception | Metacognition | Affect | Emotion | Social Behavior | Neuroplasticity | Neuroethology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Eliza Bliss-Moreau
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn Twitter ResearchGate
Garreck Lenz
Opioid Receptors | Structural Biology | Molecular genetics
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Bradley Ander
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn Twitter OrchidID
Kiran Long-Iyer
Genetically-Encoded Biosensors | Serotonergic Neuromodulation | Reinforcement Learning | Early life Adversity
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lin Tian
Awards: Learning, Memory & Plasticity (LaMP) T32
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn Twitter
Rebecca Wilson
Molecular and Cellular Basis of PCB Developmental Neurotoxicity
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Pamela Lein
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn
2018–2019
Simone Grant
Schizophrenia | Biomarkers | Environmental Factors Leading to Disease | Translational Research
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Melissa Bauman
Awards: Learning, Memory & Plasticity (LaMP) T32
Outreach: Neuroscience Initiative to Enhance Diversity (NIED)
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn
Jaleel Jefferson
Neurodegeneration | Neuroinflammation | Alzheimer's Disease
Faculty Mentor: Dr. John Morrison
Awards: Learning, Memory & Plasticity (LaMP) T32
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn
Alyssa Sanchez
Thalamocortical Circuits of the Visual System
Faculty Mentor: Dr. W. Martin Usrey
Awards: Vision Science T32 Training Program
Email: [email protected]
Ashley Williams
Episodic Memory | Psychosis | Testing Effect | Retrieval-Induced Facilitation | fMRI
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Charan Ranganath and Dr. Dan Ragland
Awards: Learning, Memory & Plasticity (LaMP) T32
Email: [email protected]
Connect: Twitter
2017–2018
Nicole Claiborne
Glutamatergic Signaling in Dendritic Spine Stability
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Karen Zito
Awards: LaMP T32, HHMI Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study
Email: [email protected]
Connect: ResearchGate
Alexa D'Ambra
Electrophysiological correlates of functional connectivity | Non-motor functions of the cerebellum
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Diasynou Fioravante
Awards: Training Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Dean's Distinguished Graduate Fellowship
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn Twitter ResearchGate
Sarah Gooding
Substance Abuse Disorders | Opioids | Dopamine Pathways | GPCR Signaling
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Whistler
Awards: LaMP T32, NIH NRSA F31
Email: [email protected]
Connect: Twitter ResearchGate
Alexandra (Sasha) Mikhailova
Brain Development | Synapse Dynamics | MHC Class I | Live-imaging
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kimberley McAllister
Awards: Barbara Chapman Neuroscience Award, LaMP T32, NIH NRSA F31
Outreach: SOMA, NeuroFest
Email: [email protected]
Connect: LinkedIn
2016–2017
Taylor Follansbee, Ph.D
Neural mechanisms underlying itch and pain
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Earl Carstens
Graduation Year: 2021
Current Position: Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Davis
Connect: LinkedIn Twitter GoogleScholar
Preetham Ganupuru
Neural mechanisms of perceptual decision making
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tim Hanks
Awards: LaMP T32
Email: [email protected]
Joesph Martinez
Learning and Memory | Neurodegeneration | GPCR Signaling
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kevin Xiang
Awards: IMSD Program, Predoctoral Training in Pharmacological Sciences, NIH Blueprint D-SPAN Award
Connect: LinkedIn GoogleScholar
Email: [email protected]
Katelynn Ondek, Ph.D
Translational Neuroscience | Veterinary Medicine| Learning, Memory, & Plasticity | Traumatic Brain Injury | Epilepsy
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Gene Gurkoff
Graduation Year: 2020
Current Position: Pre-Veterinary Student, UC Davis
Awards: YEAR T32, LaMP T32
Connect: LinkedIn Twitter ResearchGate
Stela Petkova, Ph.D
Gene-environment factors in rare neurodevelopmental disorders
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jill Silverman
Graduation Year: 2021
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, UC Davis
Awards: International Society for Autism Research Dissertation Award
Connect: LinkedIn GoogleScholar