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Kalynn Schulz, Ph.D.
Principle Investigator
Marcia Chavez, M.A.
Ph. D. Candidate
contact
Marcia graduated with a Master’s in Experimental Psychology from CSU San Marcos in 2017. Since the start of her PhD work at UT, Marcia has made many contributions to the lab and has been awarded the prestigious Tennessee Graduate Excellence Fellowship. Currently her work examines sex differences within stress and neuroplasticity during development, and what the underlying hormonal mechanisms are produce these differences.
Arthur (AJ) Castaneda, M.A.
Ph.D. Candidate
contact
Arthur graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology, and a Master’s in Experimental Psychology from CSU San Marcos. His current projects focus on the role of reproductive brain regions and their interplay with social experience. Specifically, his aim is to explore the underlying neuroendocrine and experiential factors between the brain, development, and social-reproductive behaviors in rodents.
Jessica Tremblay, M.A.
Ph.D. Candidate
contact
Jessica graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a Spanish minor from UNC Wilmington in 2020. Here at UTK, she is working to understand how hormones affect neuroplasticity during adolescence in the medial prefrontal cortex, and how this may contribute to the development of mental health disorders later in life.
Sierra Lawler
Masters Candidate
slawler2@vols.utk.edu
Sierra graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in Animal Assisted Interventions from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania in May of 2023. Also pictured here is Harley-the official lab “good boy”!
Krystiana Rego
Masters Candidate
Krystiana graduated with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a minor in Public Health from the University of North Florida in May of 2023.
Maddie Jones
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Maddie is a Neuroscience and Spanish double major with an anticipated graduation date of May 2025. Her current work focuses on how prenatal and adolescent stress alter neuroplasticity in the basolateral amygdala and central amygdala. After graduation, she plans on attending medical school to eventually work in a pediatric subspecialty.
Joseph Hunter
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Joseph is an undergraduate Neuroscience major and is anticipated to graduate in the Spring of 2026. His work focuses on how stress during different stages of adolescence affects neuroplasticity within the medial prefrontal cortex. After he graduates, Joseph will aim for a PhD in Neuroscience in order to research ADHD and plans on making information regarding ADHD to be more accessible.
Olivia Lawson
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Olivia is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and pursuing a minor in English. She has assisted with immunofluorescent imaging for the Hormone Monster project. Additionally, she has completed behavioral analysis while collaborating with the Richardson Lab at UMASS Amherst under Dr. Schulz’s supervision. Olivia is a non-traditional student and a mother of three. She plans to go to medical school after graduating and hopes to specialize in pediatric surgery while simultaneously conducting research on treatments for Glioblastoma.
Trevor Pounders
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Trevor is a senior from Memphis, Tennessee and joined the team in the Spring of 2023. He is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Business Management. Within the lab space he has assisted PhD student, Marcia Chavez, by tracing the BLA brain region and counting the neurons within that region to understand how different hormones affect neuroplasticity within an organism. After graduation, Trevor hopes to pursue higher education.
Isabella (Belle) Benson
Undergraduate Research Assistant
ibenson@vols.utk.edu
Belle is a senior at the University of Tennessee studying Psychology and Neuroscience. She joined the lab in the spring of 2023, assisting PhD student AJ Castaneda in studying the effects of pubertal timing on social behavior. After graduation, Belle plans to apply to medical school and eventually become a plastic surgeon.
Zachary Heyser
Undergraduate Research Assistant
zheyser@vols.utk.edu
Zachary is a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in statistics. He joined the lab in spring of 2024. He currently serves as secretary in the University of Tennessee’s Melanin Mental Health Alliance where he advocates for mental health awareness and destigmatization in the African American community. He is currently working with AJ Castaneda to study the effects of ketamine on neuroplasticity. After graduation, Zachary aspires to become a clinical psychologist.
Annie Underwood
Undergraduate Research Assistant
annsunde@vols.utk.edu
Annie is a junior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish. She joined the lab in the spring of 2024 and will be graduating in May of 2025. Annie is currently working alongside Jessica Tremblay to investigate the effects of adolescent stress on social behavior in adult rats. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and eventually become a physician specializing in OB/GYN or neurology.
Sophia Vetter-Ryan
Undergraduate Research Assistant
svetterr@vols.utk.edu
Sophia is a junior double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. She earned her Associates of Science Degree at Roane State Community College and transferred to UTK in the Fall 2023 semester, where she then joined the lab. Sophia plans to continue working in the lab until her graduation in December of 2025. Sophia is currently working with PhD candidate AJ Castaneda on investigating a new method of influencing brain neuroplasticity involving the use of ketamine, as well as the effects of pubertal hormones and timing on social behavior. After her graduation at UTK, she aims to obtain her Masters and PhD in Neuroscience to continue research in cognitive and behavioral brain functioning.
Alyssa Whaley (she/her)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
awhale13@vols.utk.edu
Alyssa is a Neuroscience and BCMB double major with a minor in Psychology. She is anticipated to graduate May 2025. Following graduation, Alyssa aims to attend an MD/PhD program in pursuits of neurosurgery and clinical research.
Sydney Cook
Undergraduate Research Assistant
hqx671@vols.utk.edu
Sydney is a junior double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. She joined the lab in the fall of 2023 and is excited to continue working until she graduates in May of 2025. Sydney is currently working with PhD candidate AJ Castanada on studying the effects of pubertal timing and hormones on neuroplasticity. After graduation, Sydney plans to attend an accelerated nursing program and eventually hopes to become a nurse practitioner specializing in neurology.
Kenneth Lin
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Kenneth is a senior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in biological sciences and chemistry with an anticipated graduation date of May 2015. Currently, he is working on a project with Marcia Chavez that investigates the effects of developmental stress on inhibitory neural networks. After graduation, he plans to attend dental school.
Meg Maynor
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Meg is a neuroscience major from Kingsport, Tennessee, and she intends to graduate a semester early in December of 2024. Currently, her work, alongside Jess, focuses on how the addition of hormones during adolescence affects the neuroplasticity of the medial prefrontal cortex. After undergrad, she intends to pursue her MD!
Isabella Rochford
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Isabella is a double major in Neuroscience and Global Health Biology expected to graduate in May of 2026. She joined the lab in the fall of 2024, assisting Marcia Chavez to investigate how stress during development interacts with the immune system to affect physiology and behavior in adulthood. After graduation, Isabella plans to apply to graduate school and eventually become the head of her own research lab.