Lab Members

We are looking for new Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows to join the lab!

Tim Machado

Assistant Professor
Timothy.Machado@PennMedicine.upenn.edu

    I'm interested in understanding how descending pathways command the brainstem and spinal cord to initiate and modify movements—especially across different brain states (like hunger, thirst, and arousal). Previously, I was a postdoc working in the Deisseroth Lab at Stanford. Before that, I started a company called CTRL-labs that used ideas related to my doctoral work to build non-invasive technologies for decoding motor intention. I went to graduate school at Columbia where I studied spinal motor circuits. Outside of lab, I enjoy running, biking, and trying to be outside.

Abby Lieberman

Neuroscience Graduate Program Rotation Student
abby.lieberman@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

    I am interested in how different internal states impact actions, particularly social interactions. I started my PhD in neuroscience in 2022. Previously, I studied action selection at University of Maryland Baltimore and cognitive flexibility at NIAAA. When I'm not in lab you can find me doing hot yoga, cooking too much food, doing crafts, and squealing over cute animals.

Kerry Nix

Neuroscience Graduate Program Rotation Student
kerry.nix@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

    I’m interested in understanding neural bases of cognition and communication between brain areas using imaging and computational methods. Before beginning my PhD in Neuroscience in 2022, I studied visual and language processing in epilepsy patients using TMS and TMS-EEG. Outside the lab, I like biking around Philly, drawing, and singing.

Tammi Coleman

Research Specialist (joint with Ben Scholl)

Marie Fina

Research Specialist (joint with Diego Contreras)