Matthew Birnie, Ph.D. | Assistant Project Scientist | mbirnie@uci.edu

I received my Ph.D. in Neuroscience (Neuroendocrinology) in 2018 from the University of Bristol, UK in the lab of Prof. Stafford Lightman investigating the molecular and physiological effects of synthetic glucocorticoid treatment. In late 2018, I joined the Baram lab where I am the recipient of a George E. Hewitt Research Fellowship, investigating the role of CRH and the development of neural circuitry following early-life stress relating to adolescent and adult affective disorders. In my spare time, I like to compete in endurance sports events.

Amalia Floriou-Servou, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Researcher | afloriou@uci.edu

I am from a Greek island, Lefkada, and I obtained my B.Sc. in Biology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2012. Then I moved to ETH Zurich, Switzerland, where I completed an M.Sc. with a major in Cell Biology, and I earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience with distinction in 2020. During my Ph.D. in the lab of Prof. Johannes Bohacek, I studied the molecular effects of the acute stress response in the brain, as well as the role of the neuromodulator norepinephrine in brain function and in behavior. I joined the Baram lab in 2021, to investigate the molecular effects of early life adversity in the brain, and its impact on the stress and reward circuitry later in life.

Annabel Short, Ph.D. | Postdoctoral Researcher | akshort@uci.edu

Now joined the Telethon Kids Research Institute in Perth, Western Australia. Prior to commencing my Ph.D., I was a research technician in the cancer genetics group at the Menzies Research Institute, Hobart, Australia. Following this, I commenced a Ph.D. at the Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, Australia where I investigated the transgenerational impact of stress on offspring. These scientific discoveries led to me having an interest in how epigenetic changes are encoded early in development in response to the environment, and how the encoding mechanism changes throughout development. In my current position as a Senior Research Fellow, I am using my training to help understand how cellular changes can influence tumorigenesis and the effects on the developing brain.

Jessica Bolton, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor at Georgia State University | jbolton@gsu.edu

Now at her own lab at Georgia State University! She received her Ph.D. in Psychology & Neuroscience in 2015 from Duke University while working in Dr. Staci Bilbo’s lab. In 2015, She joined the Baram lab where she was the recipient of a George E. Hewitt Research Fellowship, During this time she studied the role of microglia, the immune cells of the brain, in sculpting stress-sensitive neural circuitry following early-life stress during critical periods of development, as well as in the cognitive deficits and emotional vulnerabilities we observe in adulthood. Her work in the Baram lab was awarded with funding by a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant and an NIMH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Grant. Jessica is now an Assistant Professor at the Neuroscience Institute at Georgia State University.  

Yuncai Chen, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, Project Scientist | yuncaic@uci.edu

The major focus is on understanding how stress neuropeptide CRH impacts cognition and the underlying synaptic and molecular mechanisms. I have found that combined physical and psychological stresses lasting hours result in the collapse of dendritic spines, and that neuropeptide CRH accelerates spine retraction and selectively destroys thin spines (the ‘learning spines’) via RhoA-cofilin signaling (e.g., Chen et al., 2008 J Neurosci; 2013 Mol Psychiatry). I have also demonstrated a novel synergistic action of corticosterone and CRH on hippocampal synaptic plasticity and spine structure that mediates the memory-disrupting effects of stress by using live imaging and sophisticated analyses of dendritic branches and spines/synapses (e.g., Chen et al., 2016 J Neurosci).

Noriko Kamei, Ph.D. | Assistant Project Scientist | nkamei@uci.edu

I obtained my Ph.D. in Molecular Developmental Biology in Life science and Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. My Thesis was worked on allorecognition mechanisms to understand the origin of the immune system. When I moved to the U.S. as a postdoctoral fellow, I initially worked on Species-specific sperm and egg recognition and identified the first species-specific receptor for sperm on the egg using Sea Urchin as a model animal. Currently, I am focusing on Epigenetics and its mechanism how environment such as stress and inflammation affect the early-life Brain development using Rodent model as well as involving in the human baby study under the Conte center.

Cassandra Kooiker, B.S. | MD/Ph.D. Student | ckooiker@hs.uci.edu

I completed my B.S. in Neuroscience at the University of Michigan in 2015 before studying cellular and molecular mechanisms of major depressive disorder with Dr. Paul Greengard at Rockefeller University until 2017. I am currently a graduate-phase MD-PhD student at UC Irvine. My present work involves elucidation of the role of early life experience in shaping the brain circuitry important in stress response and anhedonia later in life.

Rachael E. Hokenson, Ph. D. | Post-doctoral Scholar | rhokenso@uci.edu

I received my bachelors in neurobiology from UC Irvine in 2016. In graduate school I joined the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at UCI and obtained my PhD in 2024. My thesis work focused on identifying sex- and hormone- dependent differences in vulnerabilities of memory to acute traumatic stress. I found that high levels of estrogens play a causal role in memory disruptions following acute trauma and these effects are mediated by different receptors by sex. As a postdoctoral scholar, I will investigate the mechanisms of sex-specific vulnerabilities to stress.

Lara Taniguchi, B.S. | Graduate Student | l.taniguchi@uci.edu

I was born and raised in Japan and moved to the US for college, receiving my bachelor’s degree in Neurobiology from UC Berkeley in 2019. Post-graduation, I worked as a research assistant in the STAAR and Malenka Labs at Stanford, studying the role of basal ganglia neuronal circuits in aggression. I entered the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program at UC Irvine in 2021 and joined the Baram Lab in July 2022. At the Baram Lab, my research focuses on the sex-dependent influence of early life adversity on reward circuits, particularly the novel CRH-expressing basolateral amygdala to nucleus accumbens pathway in female mice. Outside of the lab, I love to dance, run, swim, hike, try new food, write Yelp reviews, and travel.

Madison Tetzlaff, B.S | MD/Ph.D. Student | mtetzlaf@hs.uci.edu

I completed my B.S. in Neuroscience and Genetics, Cell Development and Biology with a minor in Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in May 2020. I then spent a year working on neural circuits and epilepsy, continuing in the Krook-Magnuson Lab where I had completed my undergraduate honors thesis. In August of 2021, I moved to UC Irvine to begin the MD/PhD program. I joined the Baram Lab and began using spatial transcriptomics to study the molecular mechanisms underpinning early life adversity in 2023.

Mason Hardy, B.S | Ph.D. Student | hardym1@uci.edu

I earned my Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience from Western Washington University in 2019. As an undergraduate, I worked in the laboratory of Dr. Jeff Grimm applying behavioral pharmacology approaches to study sex differences in motivated behaviors. After graduating, I worked in a high-throughput drug discovery lab with Dr. Tanya Parish at the Seattle Children’s Center for Global Infectious Disease Research to investigate the mechanism of action for novel antitubercular compounds. In August 2022, I moved to UC Irvine to enroll in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program. I joined the Baram Lab in June 2023, where I will investigate the structure and function of the CRF system and neurological perturbations following early-life adversity through the application of genetic, viral, pharmacological, and behavioral approaches.

Jorge Mendoza | Ph.D. Student | jorgemm2@uci.edu

I was born and raised in Santa Ana, California, and stayed local to earn my bachelor’s in neurobiology at UC Irvine. I then went to the National Institute on Drug Abuse to pursue a post-baccalaureate research position to study the supramammillary nucleus and its role in reward-seeking behaviors. I returned to UC Irvine to begin my predoctoral training at the Baram lab to understand how corticotropin-releasing hormone-expressing neurons are involved in altering reward circuits during early life adversity.

Sophia C. Levis, Ph.D | MD/Ph.D. Student | slevis@hs.uci.edu

I am a current MD/Ph.D. student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at UCI. I completed my PhD in May 2022 under the mentorship of Dr. Tallie Z. Baram and Dr. Stephen V. Mahler. My graduate research focused on understanding how early life adversity alters reward circuit function to affect behaviors related to opioid addiction.

Jennifer Daglian, B.S. | Lab Manager | jlockney@uci.edu

I obtained my B.S. in Biology from UC Irvine, in 2005. As a Staff Research Associate II, I am currently the Lab Manager for Dr. Baram’s Lab.

Anissa Sahouli, M.Sc. | Lab Assistant II | asahouli@hs.uci.edu

I received my B.Sc. Hons in Biology from the University of Ottawa, Canada in 2023. I then moved to California where I completed a M.Sc. in Microbiology at the University of California, Riverside in 2024. I am currently a laboratory assistant in the Baram Lab.