Principal investigator
Patricia Janak, Ph.D
patricia.janak@jhu.edu | Google Scholar
Patricia received a BA in psychology and biology from Rutgers College and her Ph.D in biological psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. After postdoctoral positions at the Wake Forest School of Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Patricia joined the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, as an Assistant Professor in 1999. She was appointed as Associate Professor in 2006, and named the Howard J. Weinberger Endowed Chair in Addiction Research at UCSF in 2011. In 2014, Patricia joined the faculty of Johns Hopkins University where she is a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor with joint appointments in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and in the Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Postdoctoral Fellows
Yifeng Cheng, PH.d
ycheng62@jhu.edu | ResearchGate | Google Scholar
Yifeng received his BS in biological sciences from Hubei University in Wuhan, China. He then completed his Ph.D at Texas A&M University Health Science Center under the supervision of Dr. Jun Wang. During his Ph.D, he mainly focused on investigating the casuality between alcohol-induced corticostriatal plasticity and alcohol-seeking and drinking behavior. He joined the Janak Lab as a postdoc in February of 2019 and is now investigating the corticostriatal circuit mechanisms underlying economic decision-making using in vivo electrophysiology, fiber photometry, neuronal tracing, and optogenetics. When not in the lab, he enjoys photography, watching TV, hiking, and gaming.
Céline Drieu, Ph.D
Céline received her PhD in Neuroscience from the University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France. She performed her PhD work in the lab of Dr. Michaël Zugaro at the Collège de France, where she studied hippocampal cell assembly sequences in memory formation and consolidation in freely behaving rats. She joined the Janak lab in September 2019 for a postdoc to study cortical and subcortical computations underlying context-dependent learning. Out of the lab, she likes to play tennis, hike and climb, discover good places to eat, and travel.
Eric Garr, Ph.D
egarr1@jhu.edu | Google Scholar
Eric completed his PhD with Dr. Andrew Delamater at the City University of New York where he conducted research on basal ganglia contributions to the learning and goal-directed control of action sequences in rats. Eric joined the Janak Lab in September 2019 and is interested in the information-theoretic analysis of dopamine-dependent learning. He uses fiber photometry, in vivo miniature microscope imaging, optogenetics, anatomical tracing, and computational models of reinforcement learning. Outside the lab, Eric enjoys spending time with his newborn son and sampling pizza from everywhere he travels.
Robin Magnard, Ph.D
Robin received his BS in Neurobiology and Neurosciences in 2014, in Grenoble France. He then completed his PhD with honors at the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences in the lab of Dr. Sebastien Carnicella in February 2019. During his PhD he conducted research on the neurobiological mechanisms responsible for impulsivity as a core symptom of behavioral addiction caused by dopaminergic therapy in Parkinson’s disease. Also interested in drug addiction, Robin joined the Janak Lab as a postdoc in June 2019. He is currently investigating the role played by the lateral habenula on mesocorticolimbic circuits expected to drive negative affect during cocaine withdrawal and trigger relapse. When not in the lab Robin likes to workout, read, and travel.
Laia Castell, Ph.D
Laia obtained her BS in Human Biology and her MS in Neuroscience from the Pompeu Fabra University and the University of Barcelona (Spain), respectively. She later received her PhD at the laboratory of Dr. Emmanuel Valjent, at the University of Montpellier, France, where she investigated the role of dopamine D2 receptors in the control of fear behaviors in mice. She joined the Janak lab in May 2021 for her postdoctoral training to study the involvement of the mesolimbic dopamine system in the drug-seeking behaviors that model addiction. Using in vivo techniques such as fiber photometry and optogenetics, Laia now focuses her research on alcohol use disorder. Outside the lab, she is usually found exploring the amazing Baltimore, doing science dissemination activities, reading or planning a trip to visit the 46 remaining states where she has not yet been.
Shivam kalhan, Ph.D
Shivam completed his BSc degree in Neuroscience at the University of Otago, New Zealand. The research component of his BSc was supervised by David Bilkey. Here, Shivam studied conflict and adaptation signals within the anterior cingulate cortex and ventral tegmental area, using in vivo electrophysiology in rats. He then completed his PhD at the University of Melbourne, supervised by Marta Garrido, Robert Hester and in collaboration with A. David Redish. Here, Shivam studied the theoretical, computational, and neural processes of learning and motivational systems gone awry in people with a substance use disorder. Shivam joined the Janak Lab in October 2023. He is interested in utilizing the various experimental techniques within the lab, in concert with computational modelling, to empirically test his theoretical/computational ideas on the role of dopamine in modulating learning and motivation. Outside the lab, you’ll likely find Shivam on the tennis court!
graduate students
Matilde Castro
Matilde received BSs in biochemistry and psychology from The University of Texas at Austin and joined the Janak lab Summer 2020 through the Neuroscience Graduate Program. She is interested in the role of the limbic system in alcohol drinking behaviors and how 5HT2a receptor agonists / psychedelics may be involved in interrupting these processes. She is currently exploring this research topic using in vivo electrophysiology, but will eventually use techniques like microinfusions and optogenetics to further probe this question. When she's not in lab, you can find her reading a good novel, listening to NTS radio and DJ sets, on a long hike, or cooking a homemade meal.
sara brooke
Sara is from northern California and went to UC San Diego for undergrad, where she received a B.S. in Cognitive Science with a specialization in neuroscience. There, her research experience ranged from linguistics and psychology to spatial navigation. After graduating, she worked with Dr. Edward Callaway at the Salk Institute where she investigated the dynamics within the superior colliculus during distinct attentional states of a visual task. During the summer of 2021 she joined the Janak Lab for her PhD in neuroscience, and now she investigates ensemble encoding in the Nucleus Accumbens core during reward expectation and seeking. She loves electrophysiology, behavior, and anything systems neuroscience. Outside of lab you might find her walking her dog in Wyman Park, trying new restaurants or recipes, or reading a (fiction) book.
Aneesh Bal
Aneesh completed his BS at Michigan State University in Neuroscience while working in the lab of Dr. Amy Arguello on cue-induced drug seeking behaviors. After his undergrad, he spent a year working on deep-learning methods for mouse action recognition in Dr. Kay Tye’s lab at the Salk Institute. Aneesh joined both the Janak and Kutchibhotla labs in the Summer of 2021 through the Psychological and Brain Sciences Program. For his graduate studies, he is interested in the neural basis of decision making, associative learning, and social learning. Outside of the lab, Aneesh enjoys reading books, running, and playing basketball.
Samantha Soto
Samantha received her BS in Neuroscience from Baylor University in 2021. During her undergraduate education, she worked in the Baylor Behavioral Medicine Lab where she developed an investigation examining multidisciplinary aspects of stress. After her operations within human models, Samantha studied the role of the rat prefrontal cortex in drug seeking behaviors in the Saddoris Lab at the University of Colorado at Boulder and studied alcohol-related behaviors in mice in the Hwa Lab at Baylor. Samantha joined the Janak Lab through the Psychological and Brain Sciences program in 2021. She is interested in goal-oriented behaviors, the effects of environmental stress on decision making, and the circuitry related to addiction-related behaviors. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, reading and hiking.
aamna lawrence
Aamna completed her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad, India. She moved to the US in 2019 to pursue her master’s in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. There, she completed her master’s thesis on understanding information encoding in the mouse vestibular nuclei in Dr. Kathleen Cullen’s lab. Aamna joined the Janak Lab in May 2022 through the Neuroscience Graduate Program. Her current interest focuses on understanding the neural basis of compulsive drug-seeking, primarily but not limited to using in vivo electrophysiology. Outside the lab, she loves reading books, exploring the beautiful Baltimore neighborhoods, and cuddling with her cat.
lab Manager
Maricela Vela Mirelez-Prince
Mari received a BS in Psychology, Minor in Neuroscience, and a MS in Microbiology from Texas A&M University. She joined the Janak lab shortly after moving to Maryland in 2022 with her husband and two dogs. Mari is interested in expanding her understanding of addiction and reward research with the Janak Lab as well as providing administrative/managerial support to help her fellow lab members flourish. Outside of the lab, Mari enjoys cooking, woodworking, and spending quality time outdoors with her family.
Undergraduate researchers
Cecelia Shuai
Class of 2023
Major: Neuroscience
Tina Feng
Class of 2024
Major: Psychology
Andy Dong
Class of 2024
Major: Psychology
Amy Liu
Class of 2025
Major: Neuroscience
Joanna Zhou
Class of 2024
Major: Psychology
Minor: Writing Seminars
lab alumni
Graduate Students
2018-2023 Emma Chaloux-Pinette, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine MD-PhD Program
Current Position: Completing the remaining MD portion of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine MD-PhD Program
2016-2021 Tabitha H. Kim, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Psychological & Brain Sciences Graduate Program
Current Position: Research Scientist, Charles River Laboratories, CA
2015-2021 Kurt M. Fraser, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Psychological & Brain Sciences Graduate Program
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Lammel Lab, UC Berkeley, CA
2016-2020 David Ottenheimer, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Stuber and Steinmetz Labs, University of Washington, WA
2012-2013 Josiah Boivin, UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, Nedivi Lab, MIT, MA
2010-2015 Kate Vitale, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Scientist, Circuit Therapeutics, Palo Alto, CA
2010-2014 F. Alexandra Loucks, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Development Office, Omniox, San Carlos, CA
2010-2013 Sarah Fischbach, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Data Systems Analyst, KIPP Foundation, Oakland, CA
2007-2013 Elizabeth Steinberg, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Rob Malenka
2005-2008 Kay Tye, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Professor, Salk Institute, San Diego, CA
2003-2008 Bhavana Vishnubhotla, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Glen Eden Multimodal Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
2002-2007 Marian Logrip, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Psychology Department, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana
2001-2007 Cory Blaiss, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Analyst, Clinical and Scientific Assessment, Kantar Health, Foster City, CA
2001-2008 Steven Shabel, Ph.D., UCSF Neuroscience Graduate Program
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX
1998-1999 Ming-Teh Chen, M.D, Ph.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
Current Position: Professor, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
PostDoctoral fellows
2015-2020 Youna Vandaele, Ph.D.
Current Position: Postodoctoral Fellow, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland
2008-2018 Ronald Keiflin Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California Santa Barbara, CA
2015-2018 Jocelyn Richard Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, MN
2013-2018 Benjamin Saunders Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, MN
2012-2016 E. Zayra Millan Ph.D.
Current Position: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of New South Wales, Australia
2011-2013 Virginia Long Ph.D.
Current Position: Predictive Analytics Scientist, MedeAnalytics, Emeryville, CA
2011-2014 Zack Chadick Ph.D.
2009-2012 Susan Sangha Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
2006-2010 Irene Merzlyak Ph.D.
Current Position: Data Analyst, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
2005-2009 Nadia Chaudhri Ph.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
2005-2009 Laura Corbit Ph.D.
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
2004-2008 Terry Kremin Ph.D.
2002-2004 Graham Cousens Ph.D.
Current Position: Associate Professor of Psychology, Drew University, Madison, NJ
2001-2003 Maria Pia Arolfo Ph.D.
2001-2002 Isabella Zironi Ph.D.
Current Position: Researcher, University of Bologna, Italy
2000-2003 Hong Nie Ph.D.
Current Position: Statistical Analyst, Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA
Staff scientistS
2014-2017 M. Flavia Barbano, Ph.D.
Current Position: Staff Scientist, NIDA, Baltimore, MD
2000-2014 T. Mike Gill, Ph.D.
Current Position: Staff Scientist/Director of Neurobehavioral Core, Gladstone Institutes, UCSF, San Francisco, CA