Meet the Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Leslie Thompson, PhD
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/02/leslie_cropped-1024x1024.jpg)
Donald Bren Professor
Associate Professor
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/02/joan_cropped-1.png)
Dr. Joan Steffan, PhD
Project Scientists
Postdoctoral Fellows
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2022/11/devon_cropped.jpg)
Dr. Devon Frances Pendlebury, PhD
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2022/11/zhuoxing_cropped.jpg)
Dr. Zhuoxing Wu, MD PhD
UCI Biological Chemistry
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/LabPhotos_headshots_SEP_15_2019-97-300x285-1.jpg)
Dr. Thai B. Nguyen, PhD
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2024/09/sima_cropped.jpg)
Dr. Sima Chokr, Ph.D.
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
PhD Graduate Students
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/LabPhotos_headshots_SEP_15_2019-16-300x287-1.jpeg)
Jennifer Stocksdale
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/mara_cropped-1024x1024.jpg)
Mara Burns
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2022/11/jharrayne_cropped.jpg)
Jharrayne McKnight
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2022/11/marie_cropped.jpg)
Marie C Schulte-Bisping
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2023/10/niki_cropped2.jpg)
Nicolette McClure
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2023/10/joey_cropped.jpg)
Joey Wong
UCI Biological Chemistry
Project Manager
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/Yuna_headshot_SEP_15_2019-152-1024x921-1.jpg)
Research Associates
Interns
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2024/09/leanne_cropped.jpg)
Leanne Ho
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2024/09/navnit_cropped.jpg)
Navnit Kaur
UCI COMPASS Scholar
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2024/09/khloe_cropped.jpg)
Khloe Truong
CSU Long Beach CIRM scholar
Alumni
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/Morozko-1024x1024-1.jpg)
Dr. Eva Morozko, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
New York University
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/isabella_cropped.jpeg)
Dr. Isabella Sanchez, PhD
Medical Student
UC Irvine
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/joesph_cropped.jpg)
Dr. Josesph Ochaba, PhD
Senior Scientist
Ionis Pharmaceuticals
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/LabPhotos_headshots_SEP_15_2019-Andrea-1024x974-1.jpeg)
Andrea Reyes-Ortiz, PhD
Manager, gRED Portfolio Strategy & Planning, Genentech
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/gianna_cropped-768x768-1.jpeg)
Gianna Fote, PhD
Neurosurgery Resident
UC Irvine
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/marketta_cropped-1022x1024-1.jpg)
Marketta Kachemov, PhD
UCI Neurobiology & Behavior
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2021/08/kat_cropped-1024x1024-1.jpg)
Katerina Faye Beck
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2023/10/galt_cropped.jpg)
Galt Grotke
![](https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/thompsonlab/files/2023/10/Julia_cropped.jpg)
Julia Kulchytska