David H Root, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor. Behavioral neuroscience program director.
Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
Boettcher Investigator, Conan Kornetsky Fellow
postdoctoral: National Institute on drug abuse
ph.d. rutgers university
Fabio Simoes de Souza, D. Sci
Program Manager, Data Manager, Senior Research Associate
D.Sci university of sao paulo
Sara Ikenberry
Graduate Student
B.s. University of denver, 2024
Austin Csiszar
Graduate Student
m.a. california polytechnic state university, 2023
B.s. University of California Santa Barbara, 2019
Michelle Wen
Graduate Student
B.s. boston University, 2020
Ethan Herring
Graduate Student
B.s. University of pittsburgh, 2023
Jenna Kent
Professional Research Assistant
B.A. University of Colorado, 2025
Sarah Brookman
Professional Research Assistant
b.s. University of florida, 2022
Jazmine S Hurd
Bridges to Biosciences Researcher, Undergraduate researcher
Mazzy Blase
Undergraduate Researcher
Isaac Siegel-Wilson
Undergraduate Researcher
Jake Chisholm
Undergraduate Researcher
Margot Jacobs
Undergraduate Researcher
Sonia Mathai
Undergraduate Researcher
Taylor Levow
Undergraduate Researcher
Zoe K Root
Lab Supervisor, Keeper of the snack drawer
Keeper of the m&ms
Ethan A Root
Principal hide and seeker
In training, will record GCaMP for Peekaboos
Alumni
Dillon J McGovern, Ph.D. —> Janssen Pharmaceuticals
NIH F31 Predoctoral Fellow, SfN Trainee Professional Development Awardee, NIH Outstanding Scholar in Neuroscience Awardee (OSNAP)
Ph.D. university of colorado, 2023
M.S. University of colorado, 2020
B.S. Villanova University, 2018
Before graduate school, I worked in Dr. Yasmin Hurd’s lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City for 3 years. I worked on projects related to the effects of transgenerational THC exposure on reward-seeking behavior, including heroin self-administration. Now in graduate school, I am broadly interested in innate or ethologically relevant behavior tasks that have an element of avoid-approach conflict. I am interested in how BNST circuitry of specific cell-types to hypothalamic brain regions and VTA contribute to motivation, threat processing, and homeostatic signaling.
Annie Ly, Ph.D. —> Rutgers University
F31 Predoctoral Fellow, SfN Neuroscience Scholar, SfN Trainee Professional Development Awardee, Univ of Utah Rising Star in Neuroscience Awardee, Salk DISCOVER Awardee, Dosier/Muenzinger Predoctoral Fellowship Awardee, Beverly Sears Research Grant Awardee, NIH Outstanding Scholar in Neuroscience Awardee (OSNAP)
Ph.D. university of colorado, 2025
M.S. University of colorado, 2022
B.a. Middlebury college, 2016
Emily D Prévost, Ph.D. —> University of Toronto
PhD Candidate, F31 Predoctoral Fellow, Curci Scholar, Salk DISCOVER Symposium Awardee, SfN Neuroscience Scholars Program Associate, Beverly Sears Research Grant Awardee, Dosier/Muenzinger Awardee for Outstanding Contribution to Basic Research
Ph.D. university of colorado, 2026
m.s. universität Ulm, 2019
B.S. Arizona state university, 2016
David T Huynh —> Asarch Dermatology
Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences Initiative Scholar
Sophie K Elvig —> National Institute on Drug Abuse
Undergraduate Researcher
Arielle Sandoval
Undergraduate Researcher, Boettcher Scholar, Boettcher Collaboration Scholar
Makaila Banks —> University of Rochester
Undergraduate Researcher, SMART Scholar
Kyu Ro —> University of California Davis
Undergraduate Researcher, McNair Scholar, two time UROP Scholar
Janet Lee —> University of Colorado Skaggs Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Undergraduate Researcher, two time UROP Scholar, Miramontes Arts & Sciences Scholar
Katelynn N Fegan —> Metro OB/GYN
Undergraduate Researcher, UROP Scholar, David E Drutz Scholar
Koy Ecton —> Colorado Mesa University
Undergraduate Researcher
Alysabeth G Phillips —> University of California Irvine
Professional Research Assistant
B.S. University of Colorado, 2013
Jasmine Mosberger —> Washington University of St Louis
High School Researcher
Vivianne Benbrook —> University of Arizona Medical School
Postbaccalaureate Researcher
Paul Rastrelli
Undergraduate Researcher, Boettcher Scholar, Boettcher Collaboration Scholar
Hadley Mills —> National Institute on Drug Abuse
Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences Initiative Scholar
Louis Nunez —> Oregon Health & Science University
Undergraduate Researcher, McNair Scholar
Connor McNulty —> CU Boulder Neuroscience Graduate program
Professional Research Assistant
Sarah Bates
Undergraduate Researcher
Declan Mulcahy —> Summation Bio
Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences Initiative Scholar, Honors Thesis
Kristoffer Lauridsen —> CU Boulder Philosophy Graduate Program
Undergraduate Researcher, UROP Scholar
William Plantz —> University of Utah
Undergraduate Researcher, UROP Scholar, Honors Thesis
Alex Barker —> Harvard Medical School
Undergraduate Researcher, Honors Thesis
Rocio Monroy-Tello —> CU Boulder Public Health Graduate Program
Undergraduate Researcher, McNair Scholar
Steven Oakes —> CU Biophysics Department for Beckman Scholarship
Undergraduate Researcher, Boettcher Scholar, Boettcher Collaboration Scholar, Beckman Scholar
Shamira Gonzalez —> CU Boulder Biochemistry Program
Rotating Graduate Student
Juan Padilla La Llave —> University of Puerto Rico
Undergraduate researcher, SMART scholar
Bryce Poirot
Undergraduate Researcher, Biological Sciences Initiative Scholar, UROP Scholar, Honors Thesis
Max Garnett
Undergraduate Researcher, BSI Scholar
Bailey Weibel
Undergraduate Researcher, UROP Scholar
Gabrielle McBane —> National Jewish Health
Undergraduate Researcher
Gunnar Enserro —> University of Colorado Denver
Software Engineer
Rachel Karnosky —> National Jewish Health
Undergraduate Researcher, BSI Scholar, UROP Scholar, Honors thesis
Lucy Ward —> National Institute on Drug Abuse
Undergraduate Researcher, UROP Scholar, Dopamigo, Honors thesis
Megan Heilbron —> University of Bordeaux
Undergraduate Researcher, UROP Scholar, Honors thesis
Daniel Alas —> BAE Systems
Undergraduate Researcher, McNair Scholar, Dopamigo, Honors thesis
Annamarie Miller
Undergraduate Researcher, UROP Scholar, Honors thesis
Dylan Capes —> University of Kentucky
Undergraduate Researcher, Honors thesis
Max Vitti
Undergraduate Researcher
Hayden Hotchkiss —> Colorado State University
Professional Research Assistant
B.A. University of Puget sound, 2022
Wyatt Young
Undergraduate Researcher, Honors Thesis
Hannah Wise
Undergraduate Researcher, Honors Thesis
Gina Ricci —> University of Florida
Undergraduate Researcher, Honors Thesis
Luma Murib
Professional Research Assistant
Julianne Pelletier —> University of Bordeaux
Professional Research Assistant
B.s. Regis University, 2023
Giulia Aimale --> University of New Mexico
Professional Research Assistant
B.s. Regis University, 2024
Melissa Deming —> University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Professional Research Assistant
B.s. indiana University, 2024
Hannah Polatsek —> Columbia University
Undergraduate Researcher, Honors student
Bodhi Rubinstein —> NCAR
Undergraduate Researcher, BSI Scholar, UROP Scholar
Anoushka Jani
Undergraduate Researcher, Honors student, Boettcher Scholar, UROP Scholar