Zoe McElligott, Ph.D.
Zoe (she/her) received her B.S. from New York University in Neural Science in 2003 and subsequently did her Ph.D. in the lab of Danny Winder at Vanderbilt University (2009) studying noradrenergic modulation of glutamatergic signaling in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Zoe then completed a post-doc with Mark Wightman at UNC learning in vivo and ex vivo fast-scan cyclic voltammetry and spent a year in the Stuber lab at UNC learning optogenetic and behavioral techniques. The McElligott Lab officially launched in the fall of 2015 at the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and the Department of Psychiatry.
Away from the lab Zoe likes spending time with her family (husband, Tom, children Georgia and Raphael) and all the animals (goats, llama, chickens, dog, cat, dart frogs) on her crazy farm! She enjoys running (especially in the woods), rock climbing, spinning yarn, knitting, cooking, dancing, and traveling to new places and obtaining new cultural experiences. Fun fact: Zoe loves singing karaoke!
Email: Zoemce@email.unc.edu
Bluesky: @nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Tony Downs, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Tony (he/him) joined the McElligott lab as a post-doc in February 2021. He received his B.S. in Biology from Warren Wilson College in 2012. After graduating, he worked as a research technician at East Tennessee State University for two years in the lab of Dr. Donald Hoover. He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Emory University in the lab of Dr. Ellen Hess in 2021. His dissertation work investigated the mechanism of action of muscarinic receptor antagonists in mouse models of inherited dystonias. Tony is currently studying how central noradrenergic signaling modulates opioid abuse and withdrawal. Tony is originally from Louisville, KY. Outside of lab he enjoys hiking with his dogs, baking, and watching soccer.
Email: Anthony_downs@med.unc.edu
Twitter: @TDowns404
Sarah Sizer, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Sarah (she/her) received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from UNC Chapel Hill in 2015. Following graduation, she worked as a research technician in the laboratories of Dr. Robert Tarran and Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg at UNC and Duke University, respectively. She worked on several projects, including developing a high-throughput screening assay to measure e-liquid toxicity and processing umbilical cord blood/tissue to extract and culture mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) for clinical trials. In 2017, Sarah began her Ph.D. in Dr. Brian McCool’s laboratory at Wake Forest University. Her dissertation work incorporated optogenetics and whole cell patch clamp electrophysiology to understand how chronic intermittent ethanol exposure dysregulates cholinergic neurotransmission in the basolateral amygdala. Sarah recently joined the McElligott lab as a postdoc in August 2022. She is excited to expand her electrophysiology knowledge and gain behavioral experience to dissect how the dysregulation of neuromodulators promotes the progression of alcohol use disorders. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys hiking, gardening, and playing with her dogs, Rudy and Stella.
Email: Sizer@email.unc.edu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-sizer
Twitter: @sarah_sizer
Alex Brown,
Graduate Student
Alex Brown (he/him) joined the McElligott Lab as a graduate student in April 2024. Alex graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine in 2017 where he majored in Neuroscience. Before attending UNC, Alex worked as a technician and lab manager at many different labs, starting under Dr. Kyle Smith at Dartmouth College, where he studied the role of the nucleus accumbens on sign tracking behavior in rats. Subsequently, he moved to MIT to work under Dr. Kay Tye studying the neural basis of compulsive alcohol drinking in mice. Most recently, he worked at Vanderbilt University as the Lab Manager of Dr. Cody Siciliano's lab from its inception in 2019 until leaving to attend UNC in 2023. There, he studied developed a model for tracking mice’s progression through a drinking task that resulted in different drinking phenotypes to explore how compulsive drinking arises. Alex is interested in the individual differences underlying compulsive alcohol drinking and how the progression from casual to compulsive drinking can be altered. Outside of the lab, Alex has two cats (Lewiston and Moxie) who he loves dearly and also enjoys spending weekends exploring new restaurants, breweries, and stores with his partner. Additionally, he's a huge geek and enjoys board/card games, video games, and socializing with friends.
Email: alexbrwn@unc.edu. Twitter: alexbrwn1
Shannon Rausser,
Graduate Student
Shannon (she/her) joined the McElligott Lab as a graduate student in April 2024. She graduated from UMass Amherst in 2018 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. She then spent 5 years working as a research assistant in Dr. Martin Picard’s Mitochondrial Psychobiology Lab at Columbia University Medical Center researching the role of energetics in mediating the cellular and molecular response to psychological stress. Shannon is interested in the bi-directional signaling between the brain and body and how individual differences in interoceptive processing can influence the incidence and severity of psychiatric disorders. Outside of lab, Shannon enjoys painting, biking, and hiking.
Email: srausser@unc.edu. Twitter: @ShannonRausser
Luke Wykoff, Research Technician
Luke (he/him) is a Research Technician with a Degree in Neuroscience and a minor in biology and chemistry. He plans to gain research experience as he wishes to persue a PhD in Pharmacology. In his free time, Luke enjoys trying new restaurants, kayaking, listening to music and painting.
Email: lawykoff@email.unc.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-wykoff-09413422a
Natasha Torres, Research Technician
Natasha (she/they) joined the McElligott lab as a Research Technician in June 2026. She graduated from Lycoming College with a Bachelor’s of Science in Neuroscience in May 2026. During her time at Lycoming College she worked with Dr. Sarah Holstein to study how caffeine alters reward-seeking behavior in rats through a Haberberger Summer Research Fellowship. Additionally, she worked at the University of Michigan with Dr. Shigeki Iwase and Dr. Natalie Tronson to characterize the role of Y-linked histone demethylase Kdm5d in male-biased behaviors in mice and how histone modifications contribute to intellectual disabilities. She wishes to gain more research experience in her pursuit of a Ph.D in Neuroscience. In her free time she enjoys painting, reading fantasy novels, lifting, and walking in the park.
Email: tornata@unc.edu Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-torres-607182357
Leah Schultz, Undergraduate Research Assistant
Leah (she/her) joined the lab as an undergraduate research assistant in January 2024. She is pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Biology. Her research examines the neural effects of opioid use and withdrawal. After graduating, Leah plans to attend medical school. Outside the lab, she enjoys running, listening to music, and discovering new restaurants in Carrboro.
Josephine Anderson, Undergraduate Researcher
Josie (she/her) joined the McElligott lab in August 2024 as an UNC undergraduate student pursing majors in both Neuroscience and Psychology. Her work from the last two years has focused on Neurotensin, and how the modulation of its receptor can lead to differences in voluntary alcohol and food consumption. Her senior honors thesis will consist of creating and implementing a novel homecage lickometer apparatus to better characterize the behaviors underlying alcohol use disorder. She is interested in helping those who suffer from drug and alcohol use disorders, and plans to pursue graduate school for this passion. In her free time she does club UNC gymnastics, goes for runs with friends, and loves to travel!
Email: jokelley@unc.edu
Abbey Summerlin, Undergraduate Researcher
Abby (she/her) joined the McElligott Lab in December 2024 as a UNC undergraduate student pursuing a Biology B.S. major and minors in Chemistry and Neuroscience. Her long-term goals include Nurse Anesthesia, and she plans to attend a Masters of Science in Nursing program post-grad. However, she is passionate about helping those who suffer with substance abuse disorders, and wants to be a part of finding better treatments. Her work in the lab has centered around Neurotensin, a neuropeptide that has to do with the modulation of both eating and drinking behavior in mice. In her free time, she loves to travel and spend time with her friends and family!
Email: absum@unc.edu
Gracie Kmiec, Undergraduate Researcher, former student
Ali Alvarez, former UNC PREP scholar, current Neuroscience PhD Student at Emory University
Grace Foland, Undergraduate Researcher, Neuroscience Major
Adonay Teklezghi, former Lab Technician
Christina Catavero, former Graduate Student, currently consultant at ClearView Healthcare Partners
Michel Anthony Companion, Ph.D., former postdoc fellow
Isabel Bravo, former undergraduate student graduated with Highest Honors in Biology and Honors in Neuroscience, currently graduate student in Molecular Pharmacology and Theraputics, Columbia University
María Luisa Torruella Suárez, Ph.D., former Graduate Student, Neurobiology Curriculum, currently postdoc in the Carrasquillo Lab at the NCCIH
Elizabeth Cogan, Ph. D., former postdoc fellow, currently Medical Writer/Editor at Education and Training Systems International (ETSI)
Karl Schmidt, Ph.D., former postdoc, currently a scientist at Davidson College
Patric Perez, former PREP student, currently a graduate student at University of Alabama at Birmingham
Brennon Luster, Ph.D., former postdoc, currently a Medical Scientist Liaison for Eli Lily
Shanaya Fozdar, former undergrad research assistant
Rani Richardson, former rotation student, MD/Ph.D. Student at UNC
Catherine Normandeau, Ph.D., former visiting student
Kedar Dange, MPH, former undergrad research assistant
James Hutson, former undergrad research assistant
Anna Jones, former undergrad research assistant
Greg Tipton, former lab manager
Gunjan Patel, former undergrad research assistant
Jessica Vandenberg, former undergrad research assistant
Viren Makhijani, former BBSP rotation student
Anze Testen, former BBSP rotation student
Gray Gereau, PhD, Former Ph.D. Canidate
Crystal Dezha, former PREP scholar
Jackson Murray, Former Research Technician
Diana Zhou, Former Undergraduate Researcher
Zoë Martin del Campo, Former Research Assistant