The Team

Principal Investigator:

Vijay received his B.Tech. in Engineering Physics from IIT-Bombay (Mumbai, India) in 2008, Ph.D. in Neuroscience from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under Dr. Marshall G Hussain Shuler in 2015, and completed his postdoctoral research with Dr. Garret Stuber at UNC-Chapel Hill and University of Washington Schools of Medicine in 2020. 

Postdoctoral Researcher:

Huijeong received her B.S. and Ph.D. in Biological Science from KAIST (Daejeon, South Korea). During her Ph.D. training under the supervision of Dr. Min Whan Jung, she studied different roles of neuronal subtypes in the prefrontal cortex underlying working memory and behavioral flexibility.  

Postdoctoral Researcher:

Dennis Burke received his PhD through the Brown University-National Institutes of Health Graduate Partnership Program under the mentorship of Dr. Veronica Alvarez at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. His research focused on understanding the microcircuitry of the nucleus accumbens, specifically the function and modulation of lateral inhibition mediated by local GABA synapses between projection neurons. Before graduate school, Dennis graduated with a BS in Neuroscience from Duke University, and he spent time as a technician at Duke University Medical Center studying nicotinic receptors and their contribution to learning and memory. 

Collaborator/visiting scientist:

A recovering electrical engineer (Michigan State, University of Tehran, Sharif University), Ali has a broad interest in the circuit mechanisms of cognitive control and decision making in the cortex and subcortical pathways. He is particularly interested in how neuromodulation sculpts the state of neuronal networks. For the past few years, he has been studying the role of striatal dopamine in learning and motivation in the Berke lab at UCSF and UMich. Endorsed by a K01 award from NIMH, he is now studying the role of neuromodulators (dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin) in shaping prefrontal network states during attention and working memory. 

Graduate Student:

Andrea received her B.A. in Neuroscience from Amherst College. After graduation, she worked as a research postbaccalaureate in the lab of Dr. Garret Stuber at the University of Washington. Now, as a student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at UCSF, Andrea is interested in understanding how behaviors dependent on OFC function become disrupted in an animal model of AUD. 

Graduate Student:

Before joining the Neuroscience Graduate Program at UCSF, Joey received his B.S. in Integrative Neuroscience from Fordham University in 2021. As an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Eduardo Gallo, he studied the role of nucleus accumbens cholinergic interneurons in impulsive behaviors. In the Nam Lab, he is excited to investigate dopamine signaling across learning & during precisely timed movements. 

Graduate Student:

Jenn received her B.S. in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University, where she studied cerebellar motor learning in Dr. Jennifer Raymond's lab. After graduating, she worked at UCSF in Dr. Josh Berke's lab, where she studied striatal dopamine and reinforcement learning. As a graduate student co-mentored by Dr. Namboodiri and Dr. Christoph Kirst, she is exploring models of learning and hippocampal-cortical interactions. 

Graduate Student:

Mingkang received her B.S. in Neuroscience (Hons) and Psychology from University of Washington. She worked for 1.5 years in the lab of Dr. Michael Bruchas studying the neuronal mechanisms of pain/stress. She later worked in Nam Lab as a Jr Specialist for 2 years. She is now a graduate student co-mentored by Dr. Namboodiri and Dr. Mazen Kheirbek.

Jr Specialist:

Farah received her B.S. in General Biology from the University of California, San Diego. There, she participated in research involving time cells and working memory in the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus at Leutgeb labs. Now as a Jr. Specialist at Namboodiri lab, she hopes to learn more about the intersection between learning and memory and substance use disorders. 

Undergrad Researcher:

Seul Ah is a freshman at UC Berkeley studying Molecular and Cell Biology with an emphasis on Neurobiology. She is interested in contributing to our understanding of the neural mechanisms of learning and memory. 

Undergrad Researcher:

Nishita Belur is a junior at UC Berkeley double majoring in Public Health and Molecular and Cell Biology on the Neurobiology track. In the Nam Lab, she is interesting in contributing to our understanding of behavior and learning in substance use disorders. 

Undergrad Researcher:

Gautam Naik is a sophomore at UC Berkeley studying Public Health and Molecular & Cellular Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology. In the Nam Lab, he is interested in contributing to our understanding of neural processes underlying learning and behavior. 

Annie Taylor: previous grad student; currently a graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at UCSF.

Brenda Wu: previous Jr Specialist; currently a graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at UCSF.

Vincent Lee: previous undergrad researcher; currently applying to medical school
Chris Saavedra: previous undergrad researcher; currently a Senior
Ahmed Morsi: previous undergrad researcher; currently a consultant with Trinity Consulting