LAB MEMBERS
Meet the Team!
DAMIAN ZULOAGA, PHD
Principle Investigator
Damian joined the University at Albany department of Psychology in September 2014. Damian obtained his PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience at Michigan State University in the laboratory of Marc Breedlove and Cynthia Jordan. He then did postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix (Supervisor, Dr. Robert Handa) and Oregon Health and Science University (Supervisor, Dr. Jacob Raber). His primary background is in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.
KRYSTYNA RYBKA
Graduate Student
Krystyna is a third year PhD student in the Zuloaga lab. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology with minors in both Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Maine in 2018. Her research interests include the effects of stress on HPA-axis regulation and its contribution to mood disorders, focusing on how sex differences alter their susceptibility. She’s particularly interested in the neuroendocrinology aspect of behavioral neuroscience to better understand the hormonal mechanisms that cause behavior.
KATIE PARRA
Graduate Student
Katie graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 2014 with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Hispanic Studies and started the Behavioral Neuroscience PhD program at SUNY Albany in 2018. She was lucky enough to join Zuloaga lab during the summer of 2020, and hopes to continue the work started by Rose De Guzman by focusing on postpartum neurological changes. Specifically, She's interested in CRFR1 changes throughout pregnancy and the postpartum, and what underlying hormonal or contextual changes drive this unique neurological phenotype. In the future, she would like to investigate how anxiety and depression are transmissible intergenerationally.
JENN LAFRICAN
Graduate Student
Jenn Lafrican joined the Zuloaga lab in August 2020. She received her BS from the University of Maryland, where she majored in Animal Science, and studied neural crest cell development. Jenn is broadly interested in the molecular underpinnings of stress related behaviors. This interest was sparked from her previous career in animal rescue, where Jenn witnessed the challenges of utilizing pharmacological interventions to treat stress-related disorders of companion animals. Jenn's true passion lies in teaching and she hopes to work in academia, inspiring others to follow their curiosity.
JAYDEN LADISON
Graduate Student
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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
KASSANDRA STURM
JANE ZHENG
MARWAN ABBAS
PREVIOUS LAB MEMBERS
JASON S. JACOBSKIND, PHD
Graduated with PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience in August 2021
ROSE DE GUZMAN, PHD
Graduated with PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience in July 2020
ZACHARY J. ROSINGER, PHD
Graduated with PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience in August 2019