Principle Investigator: Shannon Farris, Ph.D.
Dr. Farris received a B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2007. She went on to complete her Ph.D. at the University of California Irvine with Dr. Oswald Steward and was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Serena Dudek at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Farris joined the FBRI and the Dept. of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology as an assistant professor in late 2018.
Throughout her career, Dr. Farris has been interested in the molecular mechanisms regulating synaptic plasticity, such as local translation in dendrites. Currently, she is interested in how these processes differ between genetically distinct cell types and how these differences contribute to the plasticity underlying learning.
Outside of the lab, Dr. Farris is interested in science policy and enjoys snowboarding out west.
Office: R2118 Phone: x8-2049
Email: Farrissl@vtc.vt.edu
Social: @shannonfarris.bsky.social
Research Assistant/Lab Manager: Lucy Turner
Lucy Turner received a B.S. in Biological Sciences, with minors in Chemistry and Psychology, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She joined FBRI in February 2024 as a research assistant. Previously, Lucy worked in the lab of Dr. Mark Hanigan, studying nitrogen metabolisms in the ruminant and the regulation of energy to improve feed efficiency.
Email: LucyTurner23@vtc.vt.edu
TBMH Graduate Student: Mayd Alsalman
Mayd Alsalman received a B.S. in Computational and Systems Neuroscience from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She joined FBRI and the Farris lab in January 2022 as a research assistant until she started graduate school at Virginia Tech in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health (TBMH) program for Fall 2024. Previously, Mayd had worked in the lab of Dr. Matt Howe, studying reward learning in relation to motivation, behavior, and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Mayd is interested in many aspects of neuroscience including neuronal plasticity, drug mechanisms, and neuronal circuits that control prosthetics. Outside the lab, Mayd enjoys hanging out with friends and reading. Mayd recently (re)joined the lab in March 2025 to do her thesis!
Email: amayd23@vt.edu
LinkedIn: Mayd Alsalman
TBMH Graduate Student: Kennedy Butler
Email:
LinkedIn:
Lab Alumni
TBMH Graduate Student: Renesa Tarannum
Renesa Tarannum, Ph.D. graduated from Virginia Tech’s Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health (TBMH) program. Renesa completed her training as a clinical doctor in Bangladesh and moved to the U.S. in 2021 to pursue post-graduate studies in neuroscience. Her research in the Farris Lab focused on studying dendritic RNA regulation and local translation using an animal model of Fragile X syndrome. She passed all three STEP exams during graduate school and is now a Pathology Resident at UTSW. Outside of work, Renesa enjoys hiking, watching movies, spending time with her family, and cooking Bangladeshi cuisine.
Email: trenesa21@vt.edu
TBMH Graduate Student: Mikel Cawley
Mikel Cawley, PhD graduated from Virginia Tech’s Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health (TBMH) program. Mikel Cawley received a B.S in Biology with an emphasis in Physiology and an M.S. in Biology concentrated in Neuroscience from Northern Michigan University. For her Master’s, she worked in the lab of Dr. Erich Ottem, characterizing the impacts of mitochondrial dysfunction on presynaptic motor neuron pathology and the loss of muscle-synthesized brain-derived neurotrophic factor in progressive neuromuscular disease pathology. She joined Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in 2020 as a research assistant in the laboratory of Dr. Sora Shin. Her research in the Farris lab focused on the molecular and bioenergetic signatures of mitochondria within the CA2 of the hippocampus. She is currently a Clinical Research Coordinator at Carilion Clinic.
Email: mikelc@vt.edu
Medical Student: Daniel Creighton
Daniel Creighton received a B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Environmental Studies from Boston College. During his time there he worked on research projects in Yeast Genetics, Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, and completed a thesis on Pancreatic Cancer disparities. Following graduation, he worked in the Engle Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital studying brainstem motor neuron subtypes and genetic pathways involved in their differential susceptibility to disease. Interested in Ophthalmology and Neurology, Dan joined the Farris Lab in 2023. He is excited about understanding the fundamentals of memory and its implications for behavior and disease.
Email: dcreighton@vt.edu
Undergraduate Research Assistant: Maanya Sappa
Email: maanyas@vt.edu
Undergraduate Research Assistant: Vernon Green
Email: vernon23@vt.edu
Senior Research Associate: Katy Pannoni, Ph.D.
Dr. Katy Pannoni received a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Davis. For her dissertation, she worked in the lab of Dr. William DeBello investigating the ultrastructure and synaptic connectivity of a microcircuit in the barn owl that integrates auditory and visual information. She joined FBRI in February 2019 as a postdoctoral fellow. Upon completing her fellowship, she accepted a promotion to a senior research associate in 2023. She is currently looking for data science and/or image analysis positions in Industry or Academia. She also enjoys art, music, and reading/writing.
Research Assistant Professor: Quentin S Fischer, PhD
Dr. Fischer received his B.A. in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Colorado, Boulder; and both his M.A. in physiological psychology, and Ph.D. in neuroscience, from the University of California, Riverside. He trained as a postdoctoral associate in the laboratories of: Dr. Michael Rowe (Ohio University, Athens), and Dr. Nigel Daw (Yale University). Subsequently, he served as an instructor at Baylor College of Medicine, working in the laboratories of Dr. Tony Pham, and Dr. Michael Friedlander. In 2010, he joined the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute (now the FBRI) as one of its founding members, working as a research assistant professor in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Friedlander. He worked part-time for one year in the Farris lab (2021-2022) contributing his electrophysiology skills to characterizing the input-specific plasticity phenotypes in CA2. Outside of the lab Dr. Fischer is interested in saving the world (or at least the tiny portion of it where he has any influence), and he enjoys: spending time in our national parks, playing tennis, cooking, and helping his wife Elaine rescue hedgehogs.
Email: fischerq@vt.edu
Undergraduate Research Assistant: Nicole Acosta
Nicole Acosta received her B.S. in Clinical Neuroscience from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She joined the Farris Lab in Summer 2023 as part of the Early Identification Program and continued working with the lab until her graduation in May 2024. During her senior year, she received the Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience Outstanding Senior Award and was also nominated for the Virginia Tech College of Science Outstanding Senior Award. Under the guidance of Dr. Pannoni, Nicole conducted hippocampal research using artificial intelligence.
During her gap year, Nicole is working at her local hospital as a Clinical Technician while preparing to apply to medical school. She cherishes the time she spent in the lab, which provided an incredible learning experience, and hopes to continue neurobiology research in the future.
Email: Nicolea23@vt.edu
Research Assistant/Lab Manager: Daniela Gil
Daniela Gil received a B.S in Experimental Neuroscience and a B.S in Psychology from Virginia Tech. She worked in the lab of Dr. Georgia Hodes investigating sex differences in the immune response to depression using a variable stress paradigm in mice. She joined FBRI in June 2020 as a research assistant. Daniela is currently a PhD student in neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. In her free time, she enjoys baking, gardening, and spending time outdoors, whether it be a picnic outside her apartment or camping.
Email: daniela8@vt.edu
Research Assistant/Lab Manager: Logan Campbell
Logan Campbell received a B.S. in biology from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. There, he worked in the lab of Dr. Michael Opata investigating how nutrition and age effect the severity of malaria infection in mice. He joined FBRI in December 2018 as the lab manager and a research assistant until summer 2021. Logan went on to complete a Master’s degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia.
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/logan-campbell-a41481161
Medical Student: Dinesh Lal
Dinesh Lal received a B.S in Biology from the University of Richmond. During his time there, he worked on a project exploring the mouth morphology and feeding behaviors of bacterial-feeding nematodes. During his time in the Farris lab, we worked on visualizing the Golgi apparatus and associated organelles in CA2 distal dendrites. He was awarded a 2021 VTCSOM Research Domain Letter of Distinction for this work. He graduated from the VTC School of Medicine in May 2022. He did his residency in General Surgery at the University of Kentucky. Outside of school, he enjoys watching and playing sports.
Email: dinlal@vt.edu
Undergraduate Research Assistant: Niesha Savory
Niesha Savory received a B.S. in Clinical Neuroscience from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She began the Summer FBRI NeuroSURF Program in May 2019 and worked in the lab part time until her graduation in May 2022. Niesha crafted an independent research project to visualize cell-specific local translation in the hippocampus, which was funded with an NIMH supplement award. She presented her work at several conferences and won 3rd place for her oral presentation at the Precision Neuroscience meeting in 2022 and received the Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience Outstanding Senior Award the same year. Niesha went on to work as a research assistant in the lab of Dr. Ukpong Eyo at UVA before matriculating into the MD/PhD program at Penn State in summer 2023. She enjoys art, playing her violin and relaxing with friends.
Email: nieshasavory14@vt.edu
Linkedin: Niesha Savory
Undergraduate Research Assistant: Grace Mun
Grace Mun received a B.S. in Clinical Neuroscience and Biological Sciences from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She also worked as a life skills trainer for a nursing home specialized in patients with traumatic brain injuries and as a medical assistant for a family practice when she is home. Grace worked as a Clinical Associate at BioSig Tech and is now in VCOM’s DO program. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, cycling, and New York Times crosswords.
NeuroSURF Student: Chisom Ezigbo
Chisom Ezigbo obtained a B.S. in Psychology and a minor in Visual Arts at Duke University. During the summer of 2023, Chisom participated in Virginia Tech’s NeuroSURF program at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. She treasures the time she spent as a member of the Farris Lab and plans to continue engaging in neurobiological research at her home institution. She is currently applying to medical school.
Email: caezigbo@gmail.com
NeuroSURF Student: McKenzie Proffit
Hello! My name is McKenzie Proffit and I am currently an undergraduate at Virginia Tech majoring in experimental neuroscience and medicinal chemistry. I am from a small county in Virginia named Louisa and have lived there my entire life up until coming to Virginia Tech.
For this lab, I am most excited to explore interactions between neurons on a cellular basis and potential disorders that can arise as a result. Also, I am excited to receive hands-on experience to strengthen my understanding and application of knowledge I have gained so far in my academic career!
In my free time, I like to read, play tennis, and spend time with friends. I am also a big animal lover, and love to share pictures of my cat and dogs as well as seeing other people’s pets!
McKenzie joined the FBRI NeuroSURF Program in Summer 2022.
NeuroSURF Student: Abby Craig
Abby Craig is pursuing a B.S. in Psychology and a B.S. in Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Abby is interested in exploring how molecular changes in the brain impact social behavior. In her free time, Abby enjoys exercising, thrifting, and spending time with friends and family. She joined the FBRI NeuroSURF Program in Summer 2022. She then went on to be a Research Assistant in the King-Casas and Chou laboratories. This fall (2025), she will start a Masters of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UNC Chapel Hill.
NeuroSURF Student: Fallon Curry
Fallon Curry received a B.S. in Clinical Neuroscience from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She joined the Farris lab as part of the FBRI NeuroSURF Program in Summer 2021. She went on to work as an NIH IRTA Postbacc at NIDA with Dr. Mike Michaelides and is currently an Neuroscience PhD student at the University of Minnesota.
Email: falloncurry2022@vt.edu
NeuroSURF Student: Rianna Zacharias
Rianna Zacharias received a B.S. in Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She joined the Farris lab as part of the FBRI NeuroSURF Program in Summer 2021. She then completed an NIH IRTA Postbacc at NINDS with Dr. Katherine Roche and is currently applying to medical school programs.
Email: riannaz1@umbc.edu
Postdoctoral Fellow: Joun Park, Ph.D.
Dr. Joun Park received a B.S. in Psychobiology at Binghamton University and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami. At Miami, he worked in Dr. Grace Zhai’s lab studying on the regulation of NMNAT alternative splicing by a microRNA. Joun worked on the RNA localization project through the lens of alternative splicing from 2020-2021.
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