Lab Members

Please note – this page is under development. We’re working on reformatting the page and need to add many of our outstanding undergraduate research assistants. Check in soon for more updates.

: David Moorman – Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Neuroscience and Behavior program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. PhD in the Department of Neuroscience and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at the University of Pittsburgh (with Carl Olson). Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania (with Laura Peoples) and the Medical University of South Carolina (with Gary Aston-Jones).

: John Hernandez – PhD student in the Neuroscience and Behavior program at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Bachelor’s in Pre-Professional Biomedical Sciences and Master’s in Biology from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. PhD focus: understanding how innate propensities for addiction contribute to changes in motivation, learning, memory and decision-making. In his free time he enjoys cooking and eating, playing volleyball, and hiking at local trails.

: Jessica Caballero – PhD student in the Neuroscience and Behavior program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. B.A. in Psychology at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. PhD focus: the role of the medial prefrontal cortex in fear and addiction. Jessica enjoys traveling and spending time in the beach.

: Beata Kaminska – PhD student in the Neuroscience and Behavior program at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Bachelor’s in Developmental Neuropsychology and Spanish from the University of Connecticut- Storrs. PhD focus: how reward and punishment influence motivation and impulsivity. In her free time she enjoys camping, crafting, eating, and volunteering for the Polish Girl Scout Org.

: Peter Chiknas, Research Assistant 2015-2018. Post-Moorman Lab Activities: Biomedical research in Pittsburgh, PA

: Kathy Tran, UMass Amherst Undergraduate RA 2015-2017. Post Moorman Lab Position: Lab animal research tech and pre-veterinary training.

: Kerrin Bersani. UMass Amherst Undergraduate RA 2014-2016. Post Moorman Lab Position: AmeriCorps

: Julie Factor. Mount Holyoke College Undergraduate RA 2014-2015. Post Moorman Lab Position: National Institute on Drug Abuse Postbaccalaureate Research Training Program

: Carlos Johnson-Cruz. Amherst College Undergraduate RA 2015-2017. Post Moorman Lab Position: Graduate Student at University of California San Francisco

: Olivia Mallari. Smith College Undergraduate RA 2014-2016. Post Moorman Lab Position: Dymecki Lab, Harvard Medical School followed by UMass Medical School

: Annalise Binette – UMass PREP trainee 2016-2017. Post-Moorman Lab activites: Graduate Student at Texas A&M

: Ifeyinwa Arinze, Lab Manager and Lab Founder 2014-2016. Post Moorman Lab Position: Research Assistant at University of Michigan

: Alice Morgunova, Hampshire College Undergraduate RA 2014-2016. Post Moorman Lab Position: National Institute on Drug Abuse Postbaccalaureate Research Training Program followed by Graduate Student at McGill University

: Sherry Ye, Mount Holyoke Honors Student 2015-2018. Post-Moorman lab activities: Graduate Student at Emory University

: Maddy Berkowitz-Cerasano. Research Assistant and Lab Manager 2018-2019. Post-Moorman Lab activities: Research Assistant at Vanderbilt University

: Samantha Rios,Research Assistant, and Lab Manager 2016-2018. Post-Moorman Lab: Graduate Student at Oregon Health & Science University

: Kyra Schapiro. Amherst College Undergraduate RA 2014-2015. Post Moorman Lab Position: Graduate Student at University of Pennsylvania

: Rachel Siegal. UMass Amherst Undergraduate RA 2014-2016. Post Moorman Lab Position:

: David Nikom, UMass Amherst Undergraduate RA 2015-2017. Post Moorman Lab Position: TBD

: Dr. Christopher Perk joined our lab after receiving his PhD from the University of Otago. There he studied the role of the mesostriatal dopamine system in motivation and attention using behavioral neurophysiological techniques. In the Moorman Lab he is investigating the role of the orexin/hypocretin system in motivation and addiction.

: Ariel Burman – Fulbright Fellow and Research Assistant 2018-2019. More info to come