People

Principle Investigator

Mary Kay Lobo, PhD
Principal Investigator
mklobo@som.umaryland.edu, Pubmed
Mary Kay was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She received her B.S. in Biology with an minor in Anthropology at UCLA. She stayed on at UCLA for her P.h.D in Neuroscience in X. William Yang's Lab. She then moved to Dallas, Texas to start her Postdoc with Eric Nestler at UT Southwestern and one year later moved with the Nestler lab to Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, NY. Mary Kay joined the department of Anatomy and Neurobiology in 2011. When she is not busy with science she is hanging out with her rescue pups, Baloo and Maisie.

Research Associates

Ramesh Chandra, PhD
Research Associate
rchandra@umaryland.edu, Pubmed
Ramesh obtained his Ph.D. degree in Zoology in 2010 from Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India. He joined Dr. Lobo’s lab as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in July 2012 to utilize his extensive Molecular Biology skills in the field of Neuroscience. His current research project broadly focuses on cell type specific transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms in the two nucleus accumbens (NAc) projection neurons in cocaine abuse. He is using molecular approaches to manipulate gene expression in the two NAc projection neurons to determine their role in cocaine mediated behaviors. In his free time he likes to explore Baltimore and eat Chinese food.

Postdoctoral Fellows

Michel Engeln, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pubmed
mengeln@som.umaryland.edu
After receiving a bachelor in Psychology and a master in Neuroscience from the Strasbourg University in France, Michel obtained a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Bordeaux University (France) in October 2013. His Ph.D. work led him to study the effects of dopaminergic medications on both motor dysfunctions and addiction-like behaviors reported in Parkinson’s disease. Recently, he crossed the ocean and joined Mary Kay Lobo’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow under a MILDT fellowship. His project focuses on cocaine-induced cell-type specific epigenetic modifications in the ventral pallidum, one of the main nucleus accumbens projection regions. Aside from science, Michel enjoys listening and playing post-rock music.

Hyungwoo Nam, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pubmed
HNam@som.umaryland.edu
After receiving my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry from Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, I came to United States in 2010 to pursue a doctoral degree. In 2015, I graduated with a Ph.D. in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental biology from University of Alabama at Birmingham, where I studied how stress-induced depression-like behavior of rats can be mediated by brainstem norepinephrine circuits. Now in Baltimore in the Lobo Lab, I will be looking at stress-induced behavior of rodents in a new perspective, studying the role of D2-medium spiny neurons in the nucleus using genetically-engineered mouse models. In my free time, I love to watch basketball games, play tennis, and ride my bicycle.

Meg Fox, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pubmed
MFox@som.umaryland.edu
After receiving a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Biology from Florida Gulf Coast University, Meg obtained a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2016. Her Ph.D. work focused on measuring real-time catecholamine release in animal models of stress-disorders and drug-addiction, and on the opposing nature of dopaminergic and noradrenergic signaling. She joined the Lobo lab as a postdoctoral fellow to work on cell-type specific molecular adaptations in the nucleus accumbens following repeated stress or opiate withdrawal. Outside of the lab, Meg enjoys hiking, cooking, and hanging out with her two cats Sambuca and Amstel.

Shannon Cole, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pubmed
ShannonCole@som.umaryland.edu
After receiving a B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University, Shannon obtained a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Michigan in 2017. His doctoral work focused on understanding how the nucleus accumbens produces both incentive and fearful motivations. Shannon recently joined the lab as a postdoctoral fellow where he is excited to be working on how molecular changes in neuron subpopulations and inputs to the nucleus accumbens mediate addiction and depression. Outside of the lab, Shannon enjoys spending time cooking and hanging out with his family, talking with people, and exploring cities.

Cali Calarco, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Pubmed
ccalarco@som.umaryland.edu
After receiving a B.A. in Neuroscience and Behavior from Vassar College, with a minor in Art History, Cali obtained a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University in 2018. Her Ph.D. work focused on understanding nicotinic acetylcholine receptor expression and function in the hypothalamus with respect to the regulation of food intake after nicotine exposure. Cali joined the Lobo Lab as a postdoctoral fellow to study the cell-type selective changes in mitochondrial dynamics and gene expression in the nucleus accumbens after exposure to drugs of abuse. Cali is interested in science education, mental health advocacy, community science outreach, and promoting diversity in STEM. Outside the lab, Cali enjoys cooking, reading, listening to podcasts, tap dancing, and exploring Baltimore.

PhD Students

Eric Choi
Ph.D. Student, Pubmed
eric.choi@som.umaryland.edu
After completing bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences in 2014 from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Eric spent two years as a research technologist at the Schizophrenia Center of the Johns Hopkins University. During this time, his study focused mainly on neuroimmunology and the role of GSTM1 in astrocyte-microglia communication under inflammation. In the summer of 2018, Eric joined the Lobo Lab as a rotation student, and quickly made the wise decision to join the lab as a thesis student. His current interest is to develop cell type specific CRISPR targeted histone modification tools to study how drug induced post translational modifications in the nucleus accumbens lead to changes in behavior. Outside of the lab, Eric enjoys trying out new and exciting restaurants around Baltimore, and hanging out with his friends and family.

Visiting PhD Students

Gessynger Morais-Silva, MsC
Visiting PhD student, Brazil, Pubmed
GMorais-Silva@som.umaryland.edu
Gessynger received his B.S in Biomedicine in 2014 from Federal University of Uberlandia, Brazil and his master’s degree in Physiological Sciences from the Joint Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, an association between Sao Paulo State University and Federal University of Sao Carlos, Brazil. Actually, he is a PhD student at the Sao Paulo State University, Brazil where he studies the different behavioral, molecular and cardiovascular outcomes related to social defeat stress in resilient and susceptible rats. Gessynger joined the lab as a Visiting Research Fellow in August 2018 to increase his knowledge of the neural basis of stress resilience, where he is looking at the role of VP projections to Nac in the susceptibility to social defeat stress, using chemogenetics to manipulate those neurons. Outside the lab he spent his time cooking, learning other languages and exploring Baltimore Harbor.

Marco Oreste F. Pagliusi Jr., MsC
Visiting PhD student, Brazil, Pubmed
MPagliusi@som.umaryland.edu
Marco received his bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences in 2012 from University of Campinas, Brazil and his master's degree in Functional and Molecular Biology from the same institution. Actually, he is a PhD student at the University of Campinas where he studies the influence of physical exercise on pain and social avoidance behavior induced by social defeat stress. Marco joined the lab as a Visiting Research Fellow in September 2018 to increase his knowledge in molecular techniques and to study the neural basis of stress resilience. Outside the lab he spent his time at the the gym, hanging out with friends and exploring the city.

Research Assistants

Makeda Turner, BA
Lab Research Technician Assistant
Makeda.Turner@som.umaryland.edu

Makeda received her bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences in 2018 from University of Maryland Baltimore County. She first joined the lab in 2017 as an undergraduate assistant, and then transitioned to full-time lab assistant in 2019. In the lab, Makeda enjoys naming the mice within the lab colony. Outside the lab, she enjoys eating food (mainly desserts) and reading.

Summer Program Students