Karla R. Kaun, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Neuroscience
Brown University
Karla Kaun is a behavioural neurogeneticist fascinated with the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms of addiction. Her highly collaborative team investigates how alcohol and drugs of abuse influence the molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation to induce cravings by combining behaviour with in vivo imaging, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and bioinformatics in Drosophila. Karla teaches Neurogenetics, is an advocate for innovative teaching methods to decolonize STEM and was the 2023 recipient of the National Association of Biology Teacher’s Genetics Education Award. She is an Associate Editor for the Genetics Society of America flagship journal Genetics, and was the 2023-24 President for the International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.
We are a fun, diverse and scientifically eclectic group of researchers interested in understanding how natural and alcohol/drug reward influence the brain and behavior.
Lab Manager Department of Neuroscience I'm an expert on fly behavior and specialize in design and engineering of Drosophila behavior assays. I also consult on best practices for organizing a new lab. 401-863-5832 reza_azanchi@brown.edu
Remote Consultant I'm investigating transcriptional and epigenetic changes that occur in the whole brain and in memory circuits as a consequence of alcohol and drug preference and use. amanda_waterman@brown.edu
Ph.D. Candidate Neuroscience Graduate Program I'm interested in how alternative splicing of the dopamine 2 receptor affects circuit dynamics during appetitive behavioral responses. tariq_brown@brown.edu
Assistant Professor (Research) Department of Neuroscience I'm looking at the neural circuit mechanisms underlying individual variation in operant responses to volatilized drugs of abuse in Drosophila. john_hernandez@brown.edu
Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Neuroscience I'm interested in how cotransmission regulates motivated behavior for natural stimuli and how alcohol and drugs of abuse influence this. lewis_sherer@brown.edu
Dean's Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology & Medicine, Department of Neuroscience I'm developing ways to use Drosophila as an effective model for testing new pharmacotherapies for alcohol use disorder. I also have a strong interest in science writing and illustration. rebecca_oramas@brown.edu
Undergraduate Student Neuroscience Concentration I'm investigating how ethanol self-administration affects morphology and plasticity of neurons in the a'3 mushroom body circuit. megan_wang2@brown.edu
Postdoctoral Associate Department of Neuroscience I'm investigating the relationship between neuronal activity and Notch signaling, and how this can affect gene expression in the context of alcohol and substance use disorder. nandashree_kasturacharya@brown.edu
Research Assistant Department of Neuroscience I'm working on analyzing high-content behavior tracking data and helping develop new ways to test how nicotine and methamphetamine are rewarding. ari_bouchie@brown.edu
Research Assistant Department of Neuroscience I'm working on identifying targets through which Notch signaling influences synaptic plasticity in the context of memory and addiction. brenna_levesque@brown.edu
Sc.M. Candidate Biomed: Biotechnology I'm using behavioral tracking methods to develop high-content analysis of behavioral choice in Drosophila. samuel_stea@brown.edu
Post-Baccaleaureate Research Education Program Student I'm working on a collaborative project with the O'Connor-Giles Lab to identify the role of calcium channel subunits in synaptic plasticity in the brain. amelia_harman@brown.edu
Ph.D. Student NIH Graduate Partnership Program During my rotation in the Kaun Lab, I'm using an intersectional genetic approach to understand localization of dopamine receptors in a dopamine-acetylcholine circuit in the mushroom body. daniela_garrod@brown.edu
Undergraduate Student Neuroscience Concentration, I'm interested in understanding how octopamine/norepinephrine signaling impacts alcohol preference as animals age. nicholas_m_olson@brown.edu
Presidential Scholar, Undergraduate Student, Neuroscience Concentration I'm investigating the mechanisms through which stress affects alcohol preference in the Drosophila brain. selam_moges@brown.edu
Undergraduate Student, Neuroscience Concentration I'm working on understanding the role of serotonin neurons in behavioral choice. amelia_wieland@brown.edu
Undergraduate Student, Neuroscience Concentration I'm working on understanding how internal state alters the activity of dual-transmitting neurons. vivian_m_chan@brown.edu
Visiting Scholar Department of Neuroscience I'm a PhD student at the Universtat Leipzig working under the mentorship of Dr. Andreas Thum in the Genetik Institutsgebäude. In collaboration with the Kaun Lab, I'm working on a larval model for fetal alcohol syndrome disorder and developing ways to test how alcohol is rewarding to larvae. nowagnadine@googlemail.com
We love collaborating and encourage people interested in the lab to think about being co-mentored by Dr. Kaun and PIs in collaborating labs. If you are interested in becoming part of our team, please contact Dr. Kaun!
CURRENT LAB COLLABORATORS
Gilad Barnea: Sidney A. Fox and Dorthea Doctors Fox Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Brown University
Sarah Certel: Associate Professor, Division of Biological Science, University of Montana
Carolina Haass-Koffler: Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University
Erica Larschan: Associate Professor of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University
John McGeary: Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University
Kate O'Connor-Giles: Provost's Associate Professor of Brain Science, Brown University
Rohan Palmer: Assistant Professor of Psychology, Emory University
Emily Petruccelli: Assistant Professor, Dept. Biology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Kristin Scaplen: Assistant Professor, Dept. Psychology, Bryant University, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dept. Neuroscience, Brown University
Galit Shohat-Ophir: Associate Professor, Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Norma Velazquez-Ulloa: Associate Professor of Biology, Lewis & Clark College
Tara White: Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences (Research), Brown University
LAB ALUMNI
POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATES
Mukulika Ray: Kaun Lab, Dept Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry, 2023-25 (Assistant Professor, Dept. Biology, UMass Boston)
Natalie D'Silva: Kaun Lab, Dept. Neuroscience 2018-21 (Vascular Research Laboratory, Providence VA Medical Center)
Kristin Scaplen: Kaun Lab, Dept Neuroscience, 2014-20 (Assistant Professor, Dept. Psychology, Bryant University)
Emily Petruccelli: Kaun Lab, Dept Neuroscience, 2016-18 (Assistant Professor, Dept. Biology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville)
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Fabiola Eckert: PhD, Pharmacology Postgraduate Program UFSC, Brazil, Spring/Summer 2023 exchange student
Kavin Nunez: PhD Brown University, Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology Graduate Program, 2016-21, Postdoc with Nagel Lab at NYU.
Jacqueline Howells: PhD Candidate, Brown University, Co-supervised with Dr. Marc Tatar, Pathology Graduate Program, 2019-22
Jamie Catalano: PhD Candidate, Brown University Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology Graduate Program, 2018-21
Katie McCullar: PhD Candidate, Brown University Neuroscience Graduate Program, 2018-21
Nicholas Mei: MSc Brown University Neuroscience Graduate Program, 2014-17 (Software Engineer Allen Institute for Brain Science)
Sarah Salamon: MSc University of Cologne, 2017 (PhD Candidate, University of Cologne), 2017 exchange student
POSTBACCALAUREATE STUDENTS
Nelson Le: PREP 2022-23 (Specialist, Analytical Engineer at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company)
Yanabah Jaques: (Cognitive Neuroscience 2016-18, PREP 2018-19 (Graduate School in Neuroscience, University of California Berkeley)
Nishell Savory: PREP 2016-17 (Graduate Student, Drexel University College of Medicine)
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Honors Thesis:
Imaad Said: Neuroscience, Brown University 2024 (Medical School, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee)
Owen Wogmon: Neuroscience, Brown University 2023 (Fulbright Scholar)
Eve Glenn: Neuroscience, Brown University 2022 (Research Technician, Brown University)
Raffee Wright: Behavior Genetics, Brown University 2021 (University of Edinburgh Graduate School)
Vaishnavi Sankar: Neuroscience, Brown University 2021 (Baylor Medical School)
Sophia Song: Neuroscience, Brown University 2019 (Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University)
Sydney Gang: Neuroscience, Brown University 2019 (Research Assistant, Dana Farber Institute)
Ryan Cohen: Biology, Brown University 2019 (Software Developer Engineer, Adobe)
Nicolas Ledru: Biology, Brown University 2016 (Medical Scientist Training Program, Washington University)
Rachel Muster: Neuroscience, Brown University 2016 (Medical School, University of California San Francisco)
Independent Study
Miauxochitl Haskie: Biology, Neurobiology track, Brown University 2024
Rohan Freedman: Neuroscience Brown University 2023
Mariel Magdits: Neuroscience, Brown University 2021 (MS in Human Nutrition, Columbia University)
Tyler Blackwater: Computational Biology, Brown University 2019
Fahim Mahmud: Neuroscience, Brown University 2018
Karen Gutierrez: Neuroscience, Brown University 2017 (Stanford Medical School)
Gina Chieffallo: CLPS, Brown University 2017
Hayley Bounds: Neuroscience Brown University 2015 (Graduate School in Neuroscience, University of California Berkeley)
Edward Lee: Biology, Brown University 2014 (Medical School, Loma Linda University)
Summer Students:
Liliana Cunha: Neuroscience, Brown University 2025
Wyatt Ploot: Biology, University of Montana (research advisor is collaborator Dr. Sarah Certel, University of Montana)
Anthony Walley: Neuroscience, Presidential Scholar, Brown University 2020 (Research Assistant, UMass Medical School)
Jack Martin: Biology and Native American and Indigenous Studies, Brown University 2019 (Research Technician, University of New Mexico)
Destinee Semidey: Hunter College 2019
Breanna Demestichas: Binghampton University 2019
Jaclyn Dell: University of South Florida, St. Petersburg 2016 (Graduate School in Clinical Psychology, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg)
Samantha Huynh: Brown University 2015
Sophie Yan: Brown University 2015
Alex Chen: New York University 2014 (Graduate School in Neuroscience, University of Michigan)
RESEARCH TECHNICIANS
Edward Anderson: Kaun Lab, Dept Neuroscience, 2017 (University of North Carolina Catalyst for Rare Disease Postdoctoral Research Associate)
Michael Feyder: Biochemist research assistant 2014-17 (Graduate School in Biochemistry, University of Massachusetts Medical School)