Meet The Lab

Principle Investigator

Mary Kay Lobo, PhD

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, Maisie and Loki.

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mklobo@som.umaryland.edu

Lab Manager

Shanm Ganapathy-Kanniapan, PhD

Shanm Ganapathy joined Lobo Lab in late 2022 as a laboratory research supervisor and is now working as a laboratory research manager. Prior to joining the Lobo Lab, Shanm was trained at prestigious institutions such as the Johns Hopkins University and UCLA in the United States, as well as the NII in New Delhi, India. Apart from research, Shanm enjoys movies, hiking, chess, and cooking.

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sgkanniappan@som.umaryland.edu

Assistant Professor

Ramesh Chandra, PhD

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.

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rchandra@som.umaryland.edu

Research Associate

Cali Calarco, PhD

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.

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ccalarco@som.umaryland.edu

Post Doctoral Fellow

Jimmy Olusakin, PhD

Jimmy obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc degrees in Anatomy from Nigeria. In 2014, he received an Ecole des neuroscience (ENP) PhD fellowship to study neuroscience at the Sorbonne Universities in Paris. Under the supervision of Dr. Patricia Gasper, he worked on the critical periods for emotional development. He's PhD thesis was focused on the molecular mechanisms of postnatal exposure to fluoxetine and how this impacts on emotional development in mice. He showed that developmental disregulation of the serotonin 7 receptor (5-HT7R) had long-lasting effects on adult prefrontal cortex - dorsal raphe circuitry and emotional behaviours in mice. He completed his PhD in September 2019. He then went on to do a one year postdoctoral training in the lab of Prof. Denis Jaboudan at the University of Geneva, where he worked on characterising the mouse model for schizophrenia with the chromosomal 22q11.2 deletion. In November 2020, he joined the Lobo lab, focusing on the molecular and transcriptional changes resulting from perinatal and postnatal opioid administration in mice and how these impact neuronal morphology and behaviours. Outside lab duties, Jimmy enjoys Poetry and taking long walks.

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jolusakin@som.umaryland.edu

Post Doctoral Fellow

Samantha Scott, PhD

Samantha received her B.A. in Neuroscience, Biology, and Psychology from Randolph-Macon College. In 2015, she was awarded a Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program Fellowship to study substance use disorders in Dr. Janet Neisewander’s lab at Arizona State University (ASU). Samantha stayed at ASU where she received her MS in Biology and PhD in Neuroscience. Her graduate worked focused on exploring the therapeutic potential of a serotonin 1B receptor agonist on cocaine abuse-like behaviors before and after prolonged abstinence in female rats, and whether the estrous cycle influences these effects. In the summer of 2024, Samantha joined the Lobo Lab as a postdoctoral fellow where she studies changes in mitochondrial dynamics in the reward circuit after prolonged abstinence from cocaine. Outside of the lab, Samantha enjoys travelling, especially to her home island of Jamaica, hiking with her dog, cooking, and yoga.

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Samantha.Scott@som.umaryland.edu

Post Doctoral Fellow

Shuai Liu, PhD

Shuai received his B.A in Applied Chemistry from Wuhan Institute of Technology in 2012. He then obtained a master degree in Pharmacology from the Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences in 2016. In 2024, Shuai completed his PhD in Neuroscience at the Medical College of Wisconsin, with his PhD work primarily focused on investigating the role of the dmPFC cocaine seeking ensemble in future cocaine seeking memory retrieval and other behavior also mediated by the dmPFC. Shuai joined the Lobo lab as a postdoc in June 2024. His main work focuses on the mechanisms underlying neural activity and transcriptional changes in neurons projecting from the VP to downstream brain regions following cocaine or fentanyl exposure. Outside of the lab, Shuai enjoys traveling, exploring different cuisines, and spending time with his beloved daughter.

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Shuai.Liu@som.umaryland.edu

PhD Candidate

Daniela Franco

Daniela received her B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Psychological Research from California State University, Long Beach. Her master’s thesis focused on the potential long-lasting consequences of drug exposure in an animal model of adolescence. In the summer of 2019, Daniela joined the Lobo Lab as a rotation student before making the easy decision to join the lab for her Ph.D. studies in the Spring of 2020. Her current research interests involve examining the molecular and behavioral consequences of social stress on reward and motivation with a special interest in nucleus accumbens neuron-microglia interactions. Outside of the lab, Daniela enjoys drawing, photography, coffee shops, and exploring Baltimore.

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daniela.franco@som.umaryland.edu

PhD Candidate

Payel Das

Payel obtained her B.S. and M.S. degree in Zoology from University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India in 2013 and 2015, respectively. She joined National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India, as a research fellow in Dr. Battacharjee’s lab, where she was exposed to molecular mechanisms in cancer biology and learned about different molecular techniques. However, since M.S., she was cultivating a research interest in neurobiology and gradually developed interest in studying cellular pathways in neuron-subtypes in response to psychological stress. To pursue this interest, she moved to the Lobo lab as a Graduate student (PhD candidate). Her work focuses on the effects of chronic social stress on different molecules in projection-specific neuronal subtypes of spiny projection neurons of nucleus accumbens of mice. When not in the lab, Payel loves to read Vedic scriptures, meditation, embroidery, and cooking.

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PayelDas@som.umaryland.edu

PhD Candidate

Mikah Green

Mikah received his bachelors in Physiological Psychology from Hunter College in 2022. His undergraduate research focused on PPI in the mauthner cells of fish. In the winter of 2023, he joined the Lobo Lab as a rotation student and quickly decided that spring to join the lab for his PhD. His current work is developing a Cas-12f derived CRISPR epigenome editing platform for cell-type specific use. He is also working on investigating transcriptomic changes in the ventral pallidum following exposure to cocaine and opioids. Outside of the lab Mikah enjoys going to concerts, hiking, and trying new restaurants.

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mikah.green@som.umaryland.edu

PhD Candidate

Gautam Kumar

Gautam received his BA in Neuroscience from the University of Southern California, an MSc in Differential Psychology from the University of Edinburgh and an MPH from Columbia University. Before joining the Lobo lab as a PhD student in the summer of 2021, he spent time in various labs working as a biostatistician using dimension reduction techniques to examine and profile different kinds of complex datasets. His current research involves examining the sex-specific effect of chronic social stress on social behavior and gene expression. Outside of the lab, Gautam enjoys charity work and activism.

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gautam.kumar@som.umaryland.edu

PhD Candidate

Jess McInerney

After receiving her BS in Neuroscience from Allegheny College in 2019, Jess spent two years as a research assistant at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development in the Martinowich lab. During this time, her research focused on the role of the locus coeruleus in sustained attention. Jess entered as a graduate student in the Program in Neuroscience in 2021 and joined the Lobo lab the following year. Her current interest is to explore the transcriptional and behavioral effects of perinatal fentanyl exposure in adolescence and adulthood. Outside of lab, Jess enjoys reading, playing guitar and spending time with her family, including her 1-year-old, Lucas.

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JMcInerney@som.umaryland.edu

Research Technician

Symphanie Key

Symphanie received her bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences in 2020 from Clemson University. In January 2021, she joined the lab as a full time research assistant in addition to pursuing her Master's in Public Health at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. In the lab, Symphanie helps manage the mice colony and enjoys learning new lab techniques. Outside of the lab, she likes teaching her dog new tricks, painting, cooking, and going to the gym.

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SKey@som.umaryland.edu

Research Assistant

Mary Beth Rowell

Mary Beth graduated from Elon University in 2021, receiving a B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Political Science. While at Elon, she participated undergraduate research under the mentorship of Daniel Wright, PhD, investigating methods of particulate isolation and purification from pollutant sample solutions. She is also a National Registered EMT. Mary Beth joined the Lobo lab in the spring of 2023 as a full time Research Assistant. Outside of lab, she can probably be found reading or taking one of her three dogs on very long walks.

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MRowell@som.umaryland.edu

Lab Alums

Rianne Campbell, PhD

Surbhi Hajirnis, PhD

Nikhil Hajirnis, PhD

Eric Choi, PhD

Ben Siesman, PhD

Makeda Turner, MS

Michel Engeln, PhD

Megan Fox, PhD

Chase Francis, PhD