Our Team and former lab members
Laura Volpicelli-Daley, PhD, Associate Professor Neurology
Laura grew up in Albuquerque, NM, and studied Math and English Literature in college. Her PhD in Neuroscience was earned at Emory University in the lab of Allan Levey, MD, PhD expert in Alzheimer’s disease and dementias. She also trained in Cell Biology at Yale University and Neurodegenerative disease at the University of Pennsylvania. She is an Associate Professor in Neurology with tenure at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Parkinson Association of Alabama Endowed Professor. She is course director of Graduate Neuroanatomy, and Fundamentals of basic science for first year MD/PhD students. She loves being a band mom, sarcastic humor, and is addicted to chocolate and coffee.
Vijay Singh, PhD, Scientist I
Vijay was awarded the Parkinson’s Foundation postdoctoral fellowship. He is from Uttarakhand, India and did his PhD in Life Sciences at the Institute of Microbial Technology, in Chandigarh, India. An interest in neurodegenerative diseases prompted him to join the Volpicelli lab as a postdoctoral fellow. His expertise is in localization and trafficking of LRRK2 and its effectors. In his spare time, he loves doing photography.
Casey Mahoney, Neuroscience PhD Student
Casey grew up in Winston Salem, North Carolina, then moved to Lynchburg, Virginia to attend Liberty University. Here, she earned a major in Cell and Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry. During her time in college, she competed in rock climbing where she qualified for nationals during her senior year. Her interest focuses on mutant GBA1 and how it contributes to cognitive decline in PD. Additionally, she is an avid coffee drinker, meme sharer, and snark expert.
Nolwazi Gcwensa, Neuroscience PhD Student
Nolwazi is from South Africa and completed her undergraduate and MSc degrees in Chemistry and Ocean and Atmosphere Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She then took a hard left in her career and pursued her PhD in Neuroscience at UAB. Nolwazi is interested in how the amygdala contributes to non-motor symptoms in PD. She is a Fulbright Scholar as part of the SA cultural exchange. Nolwazi is often found dragging innocent people into heated philosophical debates, sometimes about science, sometimes about Netflix series and skin care.
Lauren Fielding, Biochem, Structural Biology PhD Student
NLauren grew up between San Diego, Singapore, and Lynchburg, Tennessee. She earned a degree in Biochemistry from Freed Hardeman University. After graduation, she moved to Birmingham to pursue a PhD. One of her passions is being in the kitchen. From whipping up fancy dinners, making tasty cappuccinos, and baking desserts, she loves to create new things. In our lab, she is interested in amplifying diseased proteins from patients with synucleinopathies
Arielle Manabat, Research Assistant
Arielle grew up in Orlando, FL. She attended Belmont University where she earned a B.S. in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. She studied Parkinson’s disease at the Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience. She is currently focusing on how the GBA1L444P mutation contributes to cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease. In her free time, she loves playing tennis, or cooking her grandmother’s homemade potsticker recipe.
Charlotte Franziska Brzozowski, Neuroscience PhD Student
Charlie grew up in Ravensburg, a small town in the most beautiful part of Germany. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry at the University of Ulm, and a Master’s from the University of Tuebingen. Charlie is interested in how pathologic aggregates of alpha-synuclein impair cortico-striatal transmission. In her free time, she likes to do all kind of outdoor activities, and traveling. She speaks five languages. Charlie introduced us to Milka chocolate for which we are very grateful.
Zoe Fokakis, Neuroscience MSTP Student
Zoe is originally from Hattiesburg, MS, and completed her undergraduate degree at Mississippi State University with majors in Chemistry and Psychology. She is co-mentored by Laura and Dr. Andrew Hardaway in Dept of Psychiatry. Her research interest is investigating the role of glutamatergic projections from the cortex to the striatum in motor symptoms in PD. Zoe is the outreach co-chair for the UAB chapter of the American Physician Scientist Association and loves teaching kids about how fun science is. The rest of her time is spent baking, going to trivia nights, or relaxing at home with her two cats, Dolly and Skillet.
Marissa Menard, Lab Manager
Marissa grew up in Burlington, VT and graduated from the University of Vermont with degrees in Biochemistry, Molecular Genetics. Marissa single handedly keeps the lab running, and is an expert at immunohistochemistry techniques. She loves sports (go Eagles!) and animals- especially cats (which is sad, but we have accepted it). She can frequently be found wearing gym clothes, however is not known to frequent the gym.
Dreson Russell, Research assistant
Dreson graduated from UAB as an Honors Neuroscience student and is taking a gap year before attending medical school. He is a native of Dadeville, Alabama. He travels regularly to Ghana to assist in medical care. Dreson is co-founder and CEO of Project EMS a non-profit which supports under-resourced students. He is an expert in designing logos (including ours!).
Sumedha Bobba, Neuroscience Undergraduate student
Sumedha is an undergraduate neuroscience Honors student from Madison, Alabama. At UAB, she is a Trailblazers, and member of USGA. She was awarded the title of Miss UAB 2021, a scholarship honor and UAB homecoming tradition. When not on campus, she can be found exploring the local food and music scene, hiking, or watching Survivor.
Kahliah Long, Biology Undergraduate student
Khaliah is a biology major, minoring in chemistry and Spanish. She grew up in Bessemer, AL. She is the community service chair for the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students (MAPS),. In her free time she loves to paint, read and cook. Both Laura and Khaliah can be found having in depth discussions about celebrity gossip.
Omar Abdelaziz, Neuroscience Undergraduate student
Omar is from Montgomery, AL and is an undergraduate Neuroscience student. He volunteers as a science engagement interpreter at the McWane Science Center and is the founder of the religious organization Montgomery Muslim Youth. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, playing soccer, and MMA.
Harshita Challa, Neuroscience Undergraduate student
Harshita is an undergraduate Neuroscience honors student from Milton, Georgia, minoring Chemistry and Spanish. She is also a member of the Early Medical School Acceptance Program and UAB’s BlazaRaas dance team. In her free time, she enjoys going on long hikes and listening to podcasts about literally anything (most recently it’s been conspiracy theories).
Eli Berry, Neuroscience Undergraduate student
Eli Berry is from Bessemer, AL and is an undergraduate Neuroscience honors student. He is a patient care tech at the Medical West Freestanding ER. He is a Star Wars/Marvel Fan. He is the starting outside on the UAB men’s volleyball team and enjoys playing basketball and soccer at the rec center.
Former Trainees
Abi Kamath was a Neuroscience Honors undergraduate student and Barry Goldwater scholar. He is now a medical student at UAB.
Drake Thrasher, MS was a Researcher III. While in the lab, he earned a Master’s in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Bioinformatics. He is an Informatics Analyst II in the department of Pathology.
Rachel Coleman Curtiss, PhD received an American Parkinson’s Disease postdoctoral award. She is currently a Research Biologist at Bio Cryst Pharmaceuticals.
D. Luke Fisher, MD, PhD received an R25 NINDS Research Program for Residents award to perform research in the lab. After completing his UAB Neurology residency he moved to UCSF for a fellowship in cognitive Neurology.
Lindsay Stoyka, MD, PhD was awarded a F30 MSTP fellowship while in the lab. She defended her thesis project “Role of endogenous tau in Lewy-like pathology” in June 2020. She is a Neurology resident at University of Michigan.
Virginia Cobbs graduated from Mountain Brook High School and spent a gap year in the lab. She currently an undergraduate at Princeton University.
Tiara Janado was an Neuroscience Honors undergraduate student, and is currently taking a gap year before applying for medical school.
Barra Hijaz was a Neuroscience Honors undergraduate student and is a medical student at Harvard University.
Anner Harris was a UAB PREP scholar and is a PhD student at University of Texas in San Antonio.
Jennifer Freire was a UAB PREP scholar and is a PhD student at Boston University.
Allen Yazdi was a Honors Biomedical undergraduate student and is currently a medical student at UAB.
Nadia Anabtawi was a Neuroscience Honors undergraduate student and is currently a medical student at UAB.
Aseel Dib was a Neuroscience Honors undergraduate student and is a medical student at UAB.
Neena John was a Neuroscience Honors undergraduate student and is a medical student at University of Tennessee Health Science Center.