Current Lab Members

Jacqueline Barker, PhD

Principal Investigator

she/her/hers

Jacqui earned her BA in Psychology at Ohio Wesleyan University. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience at Yale University, in the lab of Jane Taylor before moving to the Medical University of South Carolina to complete her postdoctoral training with Judson Chandler. Jacqui started her lab in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at Drexel University College of Medicine in the fall of 2017.

jmb893@drexel.edu

Andrea Borges, PhD

Visiting Postdoctoral Scholar

Andrea completed her Bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences at Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) and her PhD in Sciences at UNIFESP, where she focused on global cerebral ischemia in rats. Since 2009, she has been a lab manager in the Department of Psychobiology at UNIFESP. In 2021, she began her postdoctoral training in the same department, working with viral tracers in mice. She joins the Barker Lab on a FAPESP grant to train in application of in vivo electrophysiology to investigation of behavioral flexibility.

Christina Curran-Alfaro, MS

PhD Candidate, Neuroscience

she/her/hers

Christina completed her MS in biology, with a concentration in neurobiology, at Rutgers-Camden in 2020. Her MS thesis work explored circuitry involved in spatial memory utilizing a teleost model. In her doctorate, she is currently using a rodent model to investigate the effects of chronic low-dose ethanol exposure on value-guided decision-making, glutamate receptor subunit expression, and neural correlates which may contribute to aberrant reward seeking.

cc3862@drexel.edu

Laura Giacometti, PhD

Research Assistant Professor

she/her/hers

Laura completed her PhD with Dr. Ramesh Raghupathi in 2018, where her dissertation focused on sex differences in long term behavioral alterations following adolescent mild traumatic brain injury. Her research focuses on sex and hormonal regulation of reward seeking and astrocyte function following chronic drug exposure and HIV infection.

llk34@drexel.edu

Sam Goldberg, MA

Lab Manager

Sam completed his BA in psychology and neuroscience at Denison University and his MA in Applied Psychological Science at Pacific University. He plans to pursue graduate school for neuroscience and explore the integration of neurobiological research with clinical work. He is interested in research involving the neurological impact of substance use disorder.

sg3856@drexel.edu

Kari Haines, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Kari completed their PhD in Addiction Neuroscience at Indiana University Indianapolis. Their dissertation focused on how gonadal hormones influence alcohol seeking and drinking in selectively bred alcohol-preferring rats. In the Barker lab, Kari is expanding their expertise on sex differences in preclinical models of addiction.

kmh533@drexel.edu

Mark Namba, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Mark completed his PhD in Neuroscience under the mentorship of Drs. Janet Neisewander and Foster Olive at Arizona State University, where his primary focus was unraveling neuroimmune mechanisms of motivated behavior and the impact of HIV on cue-induced drug seeking. As a postdoctoral researcher in the lab, Mark is building upon his expertise in behavioral pharmacology and addiction neurobiology by examining the role of glutamatergic and neuroimmune mechanisms in cocaine craving using translational rodent models of comorbid HIV and cocaine use disorders.

mdn54@drexel.edu

Mitch Nothem, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Mitch completed his PhD with Dr. James Barrett in 2020, where his dissertation focused on the effects of peripheral nerve injury and gabapentin on cortical pain processing. His postdoctoral work focuses on the interaction between chronic pain and substance use disorders.

man83@drexel.edu

Jessalyn Pla-Tenorio, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar

Jessalyn completed her PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Richard J. Noel at Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico, where her dissertation examined the effects of the astrocytic HIV-1 protein Nef on glutamate transporter expression and cocaine-seeking behavior. As a postdoctoral researcher, she is now investigating how estrogen influences glutamate regulation and contributes to sex-dependent differences in the comorbidity of HIV and cocaine use disorder.

jgp74@drexel.edu

Kylie Volksdorf, BS

Master's Student

she/her/hers

Kylie completed her BS in Biology/Psychology at Loyola University Maryland in 2023. She is currently a Master's student in Drexel's Neuroscience program. Her MS work is currently focusing on investigating how stress disrupts astrocytic glucocorticoid receptors in HIV and cocaine-seeking behavior in a sex-specific manner.

kv463@drexel.edu

Interns and Undergraduate Researchers

Julia
Wiafe-Jackson

Julia is a rising junior at Drexel majoring in Global Studies on the premedical track. She joined the lab in 2023 as a STAR Scholar, a faculty-mentored research program which strives to encourage students to partake in research early on in their undergraduate career. Julia has been awarded undergraduate research mini-grant in recognition of her work in the lab. During her time at Drexel, Julia plans to explore global health and aspires to attend medical school in the future.

Drexel STAR Program

Andrew Muhr

Andrew completed his BS in human physiology at the University of Oregon. He is currently pursuing an MS in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences at Drexel's School of Biomedical Sciences and Professional Studies and assisting with research on low-dose ethanol exposure on decision making and reward seeking in mice.

Drexel IHS Program

Bupe Lwamba

Bupe is a junior at Drexel University, pursuing a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Organismal Biology and Physiology, alongside a minor in Nutrition. Driven by a passion for understanding the complexities of the human body and advancing medical science, Bupe combines a strong foundation in biological sciences and nutrition to explore innovative solutions to health challenges. Bupe plans to attend Medical school after finishing undergrad.

Drexel Dept. of Biology

Kendall Skeete Ridley

Kendall is a rising sophomore at Drexel University majoring in Biological Sciences on the pre-dental track. With prior clinical experience as a phlebotomist at Johns Hopkins and a strong interest in neuroscience and behavioral psychology, Kendall is currently exploring the neural mechanisms of addiction under Dr. Laura Giacometti. While at Drexel, he hopes to continue contributing to research, strengthen my foundation in the sciences, and pursue dental school with the goal of becoming an orthodontist.

Drexel STAR Program

Donna
Dalere

Donna is completing her master's degree in the Interdisciplinary Health Science (IHS) program at Drexel University. Donna Received her BS from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. Following her master's, Donna plans to pursue medical school.

Drexel IHS Program

Abhiram
Yadlapalli

Abhiram is a sophomore undergraduate student at Drexel University currently pursuing his B.S. in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Organismal Biology and Physiology. As a member of Drexel’s BS/MD program, Abhiram plans to attend Drexel University’s College of Medicine post-graduation.

Drexel BS+MD Program