Alban Gaultier, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator)

ag7h@virginia.edu

Ryan brown (Neuroscience Graduate Student)

rmb5kk@virginia.edu

Ryan is interested in studying the the gut-brain axis in the context of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). His research seeks to address how the enteric nervous system might be implicated in the animal model of MS. More specifically, he is addressing the role of enteric glial cells in potentially modulating T-cell mediated neuroinflammation in the intestine during disease onset. In addition to these studies, he is also investigating the impact of antigen-cross presentation by oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in the animal model of MS. Outside of the lab, you can find Ryan at the climbing gym, riding his gravel bike, or out exploring the Shenandoah Wilderness.

alison curtis (lab manager)

kmt7px@virginia.edu

tula raghavan (MSTP student)

tpr7zk@virginia.edu

Tula Raghavan is a third year graduate student and medical scientist trainee in the Gaultier lab. Her research examines the role of oligodendrocytes, the myelinating glia of the CNS, in dementia. Specifically, she is investigating genomic damage in oligodendrocytes in the context of Alzheimer’s Disease. She aims to elucidate the contribution of this cell type to the neurodegeneration and cognitive decline seen in Alzheimer’s Disease as well as uncover the mechanisms by which DNA damage contributes to innate immunity in the brain.

stephanie moy (neuroscience graduate student)

fdx3mu@virginia.edu

Steph is interested in the relationship between the immune system and the CNS in the context of demyelinating pathology including MS and Alzheimer’s disease. She is investigating the role of cytokine signaling on the maturation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). Outside of lab, she enjoys climbing, playing trivia, and fostering dogs.

samuel wachamo (mstp student)

sw6bj@virginia.edu

Sam is broadly interested in the microbiota-gut-brain axis, neurodegeneration, and neuroimmunology. His primary project involves deciphering the role of bacterial extracellular vesicles in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. Outside of research, he has been a leader in the Christian Medical Association at UVA School of Medicine, an avid mentor involved in many mentorship initiatives, and a member and contributor of many societies, including AAAS, SfN, ISEV, APSA, SNMA, AMA, and CMDA. Sam also enjoy spending time with family/friends, running, playing soccer, reading books, writing songs, and leading worship.

jules king (neuroscience graduate student)

sup9qp@virginia.edu

emily golden (mstp student)

ekj2uk@virginia.edu

mallarie broadway (undergraduate researcher)

bxu5jd@virginia.edu

jakenzie fletcher-thrower (undergraduate researcher)

pjn2un@virginia.edu

farooq khan (undergraduate researcher)

gep7rt@virginia.edu

kayley kish (undergraduate researcher)

vgd2fu@virginia.edu

maya shah (undergraduate researcher)

wxz7ss@virginia.edu

alisha thakur (undergraduate researcher)

sje9kx@virginia.edu

Previous Members

Andrea Merchak (Neuroscience Graduate Student)

arm3de@virginia.edu

Andrea was primarily interested in how the gut microbiome communicates with the brain via the immune system. She studied the environmental sensor, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor in multiple neurologic models including EAE and stress-induced depression.

Courtney Rivet-Noor (Neuroscience Graduate Student)

crr4tz@virginia.edu

Courtney worked on stress-induced depression through the lens of the microbiome. She studied how stress initiates a change in the microbiome by looking at the gut mucosal layer and changes in its core proteins, mucins.

Becca Beiter (Neuroscience Graduate Student)

rb3qb@virginia.edu

Becca studied the functional and transcriptional diversity of
oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in the adult brain and how these populations may be involved in the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease.

ERICA SLOGAR (LAB SPECIALIST)

kqt3sx@virginia.edu

Anthony Fernandez-Castaneda, ph.d. (Neuroscience Graduate Student)

af9bq@virginia.edu

Anthony proposed to elucidate molecular mechanisms by which the MS lesion environment inhibits oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation. Ultimately, shedding light on these poorly understood signaling pathways will enable us to develop novel therapeutic agents that promote remyelination in MS lesions.

A Rosen, Ph.D. (Pharmacology Graduate Student)

amr3hu@virginia.edu

A studied the role of the endoplasmic reticulum in inflammatory conditions.

Kacper Posyniak (Visiting Masters Student)

kkp6gr@virginia.edu

Kacper was a visiting masters student from Warsaw University of Life Sciences, as part of the Fulbright Biolab program. He investigated the role of PKM isoforms in Th17 differentiation and set up a model to observe chronic myelin uptake by microglia.