ABRAIRA LAB
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Undergraduate Interns​

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Melissa González
Melissa González is a third year student pursuing a major in Biomedical Engineering and a minor in Business Administration. She joined the Abraira Lab in June 2020 and has been working on Neuronal Reconstruction. Melissa is passionate about improving healthcare through advancements in biomedical imaging and she aspires to  continue her education by attending postgraduate school. 
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Olise Oputa
Olise Oputa is a gap-year student with a B.A in Biological Sciences from the SAS. He has a strong interest in the application of artificial intelligence in the realm of healthcare. After his tenure in the lab, he hopes to attend to medical school and integrate what he has learned from the lab into the medical field. Currently, he is working on the motion sequencing project. Outside of academics, Olise enjoys birdwatching, film, and weightlifting.

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Gloria Abbas-Zadeh
Gloria Abbas-Zadeh is a sophomore in the SAS Honors Program, majoring in Cellular Biology and Neuroscience. She assists our lab manager. She hopes to become a physician and enjoys volunteering as an EMT.

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Riya Gandhi
Riya Gandhi is a fourth year Honors College student pursuing an Honors degree in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. She joined the Abraira lab at the beginning of her sophomore year. At the lab, she enjoys her studies on the circuitry and function of dorsal horn neurons. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading, spending time with her friends, and dancing! When she graduates, she plans to attend medical school. ​

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Malaika Mahmood
Malaika Mahmood is a rising senior pursuing a B.S. in Biology with a minor in chemistry and mathematics at Rutgers University. She is currently working on the Moseq project, particularly focusing on histology. Outside academics, Malaika holds two board positions and in her free time enjoys exploring all forms of arts and design. After graduation, her goal is to attend graduate school to pursue her PhD.

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Megan Phu
Megan Phu is a rising sophomore majoring in Animal Science on the pre-veterinary track at SEBS. She joined the Abraira Lab in December 2020 and worked on mice tissue preparation and animal husbandry in the mouse room. Megan is interested in the behavior and welfare of these mice and aspires to attend veterinarian school in the future.

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Monica Tschang
Monica Tschang is a fourth-year SAS Honors Program student majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and minoring in Psychology and Nutrition. She joined the histology team of the SCI motion sequencing project in November 2020 but has been researching at the Keck Center since her freshman year. Outside of academics, Monica enjoys figure skating and martial arts. In the future, she hopes to investigate the neurobiology of stress-related mental illnesses in a neuroscience PhD. 

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Jonah Underwood
Jonah is a visiting undergraduate researcher from Fordham University in New York City. Jonah is interested in how hormones take part in shaping complex social behaviors. In the Abraira lab, Jonah studies potential roles of Oxytocin in modulating tactile sensitivity.

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Benjamin Pasternak 
Benjamin Pasternak is a senior at Rutgers University studying computer science, minoring in mathematics and cognitive science. He will be joining Abraira Lab to assist with MoSeq and help develop and optimize novel machine learning models.  He plans on pursuing a master's degree in computer science following his undergraduate. 

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Rayyan Nadeem
Rayyan Nadeem is a junior at Rutgers University who is majoring in Cell Biology and Neuroscience while minoring in Psychology. He hopes to get into medical school after graduating. Outside academics, he likes to play and watch soccer and spend time with friends and family. 

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Joel Kim
Joel Kim is a sophomore at Rutgers University majoring in Animal Science. She is very interested in observing animal behavior and is excited to become a part of the team. After graduation, she hopes to attend veterinary school. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and doing Pilates. 

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​Chloe Azadegan
Chloe Azadegan is a rising senior in the SAS Honors Program, majoring in CBN. She began working in the lab freshman year and is currently working with Aman Upadhyay studying the neural circuit pathways of the dorsal column nuclei. Outside of the lab, Chloe enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading and hiking. After graduation, she plans to pursue a graduate degree in cell biology.  


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Shiv Patel 
Shiv Patel is a third-year student pursuing a major in Biological Sciences. He joined the Abraira Lab in September 2020 and has been involved in performing neuronal reconstructions and studying the potential role of Oxytocin as an analgesic. Outside of academics, Shiv enjoys lifting weights and watching sports. He aspires to attend medical school after graduating.

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Ajay Challapalli
Ajay Challapalli is a fourth year Honors College Student majoring in Genetics with a certificate in Computational Genetics. Ajay will be assisting the Computational Neuroethology team. Outside of the lab, Ajay enjoys running, listening to music, and watching movies! After graduation, Ajay hopes to attend Medical School. 

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​Meghana Kolanu
Meghana Kolanu is a junior at Rutgers University majoring in Biological Sciences and minoring in Computer Science. She is very excited to join this lab and help be a part of the bioinformatics team.
Outside of her academic life, Meghana likes to dance, play tennis, and listen to music. After graduation, she hopes to get into medical school.

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Marnea Reimer
Marnie is a junior at Rutgers University majoring in Animal Science. She is especially interested in laboratory animal science, behavior and welfare, and is thrilled to join the animal care team. Outside of academics, Marnie enjoys spending time with her family and taking her dogs for hikes. Marnie hopes to attend veterinary school in the future. 

Discover your Niche

Research interns supplement our lab's work related to mouse genetics and husbandry, histological approaches, and mouse behavior while cultivating their scientific skills.

 
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About Us

Abraira Lab is a collaborative neuroscientific endeavor to understand the somatosensory framework of touch. Our lab operates within the W.M. Keck Center of Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. We are open to interested post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers willing to explore the body's largest perceptive sense.
  • Home
  • Research
  • People
    • Central Support Team
    • Post Docs
    • Graduate Students
    • Computational Neuroethology Team
    • Undergraduate Interns
    • Science Outreach Team
  • Publications
  • Donate
  • Join Our Team
  • More
    • Contact
    • News
    • Useful Links
    • Member Access