Liv McMillan

Chief of Operations
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Office: 1416 Biological Sciences III
Email: liv@uci.edu
Phone: (949) 824-3919

Liv McMillan

About Me
Projects
Research Interests
Fun!
I came to UC Irvine in 2003 to start graduate school for my PhD in Neurobiology after spending several years doing epidemiological research in Parkinson’s disease. I ended up really missing the direct work with participants and took a break from school to go back to clinical trial research in Psychiatry at UCI and did not look back. I spent 13 years coordinating neuropsychiatric clinical studies before joining the Yassa Lab in 2017 as the research program manager. Here I get to do a lot of everything I always wanted to do in my career and count myself very lucky to be able to do it with such an amazing team of scientists.
Everything! As the TNL’s program manager, I get my hands into all of our research pots at least a little bit. I manage a lot of the administrative, HR, and financial aspects of the lab, but also work closely with our research coordinators and graduate students in day-to-day operations of research studies.

I graduated from UCSB (Go Gauchos!) with a degree in Biopsychology and have always been fascinated by everything medical, particularly when related to the central nervous system. A lot of our work in the lab is related to memory, cognitive decline and mood, so naturally that is where I focus a lot of my professional and personal attention.

Also important to me, and a significant part of my job, is supporting the students and staff in our lab. With an open door, snacks, coffee + tea and a cushy MoonPod, I try to make my office a place of comfort for anyone needing to talk, be listened to, get questions answered, or just take a break from their own desk. My office is a safe zone for all. I believe very strongly in social justice and commit to doing the work of being an ally, helping to open doors of access and opportunity for everyone, particularly those that have been oppressed.

A lot of my fun comes from my daughter Elsa, husband Jeff, and our two cats Joe and Elizabeth. We live in Long Beach in a pretty rad mid-century house filled with art. We enjoy throwing parties in our backyard with our pizza oven, going for bike ride adventures through the city, and doing weekend getaways as often as we can. When I can carve out free time for myself, I like to sew, do Pilates and Barre, read, listen to podcasts (favorites are My Favorite Murder, This Podcast Will Kill You, Terrible Thanks For Asking, and Casefile), and enjoy an Aperol Spritz or G&T somewhere sunny.

What the lab means to me…

“Our lab is family to me. It’s a home of mutual respect, clear direction, scientific curiosity, and discovery. It’s a place to share opinions openly and safely with a collection of the brightest/funniest/kindest minds I know.”