Stephen Mahler

Principal Investigator

Christina Ruiz, M.S.

Lab Manager

Christina is the lab manager for Mahler Lab. She obtained her BS in Biotechnology from James Madison University. She also obtained her MS in Medical Science from Drexel University. At Drexel University, she conducted research in Dr. Keith Vosseller’s lab and completed her thesis on the regulation of synapsin 1 localization to synapses by O-GlcNAc during Synaptogenesis. Outside the lab, Christina enjoys video games, board games, and hiking.

Maricela Martinez

PhD Student, NSF GRFP Fellow

@martydoesneuro

Marty earned her B.S. in Psychology from UC San Diego in 2017 after which she did a one year post-bacc at UC Irvine in Psychology. She is currently a Ph.D. student in the Dept. of Neurobiology & Behavior in the Mahler lab. Marty is currently studying the effects of adolescent THC exposure and is interested in the culinary habits of microglia during this critical time period. Outside of the lab, you can find her at coffee shops in SD reading about her favorite munchy bois (microglia), dancing, or just being out in nature.

Kate Lawson

PhD Student, CNLM T32 Schneiderman Fellow

Kate earned her bachelors in Neuroscience & Behavior and Cognitive Science from Vassar College in 2019. At Vassar, she worked in Hadley Bergstrom’s Memory Neuroscience Lab researching how ethanol changes fear memories in mice. In the Mahler Lab, Kate is interested in decoding rat vocalizations to get a better understanding of how drugs of abuse and neural manipulations make animals feel. Outside of the lab you can find her running, baking bread, or treating her dog like a human child.

Erica Marie Ramirez

PhD Student, NASEM Ford Foundation Fellow

@ramirezneurosci | Google Scholar

Erica earned her B.S. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from UCLA while also working as a co-lab manager in the lab of Dr. Alcino Silva. After graduating, she continued work as a technician focused on hippocampal learning and memory circuits and drug repurposing efforts. In the Mahler lab, she is exploring social reward mechanisms to see how they interact and overlap with other reward systems, including drug addiction circuitry. Outside of the lab she enjoys comic books, listening to reggaeton, and eating salads with her two guinea pigs.

Yiyan Xie

Assistant Specialist, ICAL Co-Coordinator

Yiyan earned her B.S. degree in Neurobiology from UC Irvine in 2022 and joined the Mahler lab through the Bio199 class during her sophomore year. Yiyan is currently working as a technician in the Mahler lab, focusing her research on how early life adversity changes addiction-like behavior and brain circuitry in rats. Outside of the lab, you can find her at boba shops, photographing, or hiking.

Ryan Rokerya

Undergraduate Assistant

Ryan is a first year undergraduate majoring in Biological Sciences at UC Irvine. Ryan is currently learning about behavioral neuroscience, including aversive motivation and defensive behaviors related to the Ventral Pallidum. Outside of the lab, Ryan is probably listening to music, gaining outfit inspirations, or playing basketball with his friends.

Hazael Ramirez

Undergraduate Assistant

Hazael is a fourth year undergraduate majoring in Neuroscience at UC Irvine. Hazael is currently learning about the effects of adolescent THC exposure and how this can affect microglia. Outside of the lab, Hazael enjoys drinking coffee, going hiking, and watching psychological movies

Hannah Vu

Undergraduate Assistant

Hannah is a first year undergraduate majoring in Biological Sciences at UC Irvine. Hannah is currently learning about behavioral neuroscience, including how neural manipulations affect risk behavior within rodents. Outside of the lab, Hannah can be found baking, working out, listening to music or exploring new boba shops or restaurants.

Shreeya Ajit Walawalkar

Undergraduate Assistant

Graduate Student Alumni:

Mitch Farrell

PhD Student, DSPAN Fellow

Mitch earned his B.A. in Psychology from The College of New Jersey in 2016, where he worked in Margaret Martinetti’s Alcohol Lab. He is currently a D-SPAN fellow in Mahler Lab finishing his PhD focused on ventral pallidal circuits in addiction-relevant decision making. When not in lab, Mitch enjoys the great outdoors, reading books, and doing sports.