
Lab Head Associate Professor Dept. Neuroscience 401-863-5825 karla_kaun@brown.edu Office: Rm 362, 185 Meeting St. https://vivo.brown.edu/display/kkaun

Lab Manager 401-863-5832 reza_azanchi@brown.edu

Research Assistant Department of Neuroscience I'm investigating localization of dopamine receptors and provide molecular support for lab members. amanda_waterman@brown.edu

Graduate Student 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

Postdoctoral Fellow 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

Visiting Graduate Student I'm a PhD student working with Dr. Cilene Lino de Olivereira in the Pharmacology Postgraduate Program at Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil. I'm looking at how stress influences serotonin signaling in Drosophila. fabieckert@gmail.com

Rotation Student, Neuroscience Graduate Program I'm looking at mechanisms through which stress alters octopamine signaling in flies, and how this affects alcohol response. rivkah_hornbacher@brown.edu

Undergraduate Student Neuroscience Concentration I'm investigating how memory-induced alternative splicing of Drosophila STAT influences brain function and behavior. brian_lee@brown.edu

Undergraduate Student Neuroscience Concentration I'm investigating cell-type specific localization of dopamine receptors within the Drosophila brain. imaad_said@brown.edu

Undergraduate Student Biology Concentration, Neurobiology Focus I'm developing behavior assays to investigate the mechanisms underlying nicotine reward in Drosophila. miauaxochitl_haskie@brown.edu

Undergraduate Student, University of Montana I'm an undergraduate student working with collaborator Dr. Sarah Certel at the University of Montana. During the summer in the Kaun Lab I'm investigating mechanisms through which co-transmission alters behavior. wyatt.ploot@umconnect.umt.edu

We are a fun, diverse and scientifically eclectic group of researchers. If you are interested in becoming part of our laboratory, 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
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
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)
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:
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
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:
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)