Mia Roberts
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Mia is a senior at Hunter College pursuing a degree in Psychology with a concentration in Physiological Psychology and minoring in Biological Sciences. Her research interests include behavioral psychopharmacology, addiction, pain, and developmental neuroscience. Before joining BP-Endure, Mia worked as a research assistant in Dr. Sarah Leibowitz’s lab at Rockefeller University for a year and a half, which investigates the neuroimmune mechanisms underlying drug and alcohol abuse. At the Leibowitz lab, she examined the effects of in utero ethanol exposure on the development of the neuroimmune system, neuropeptide patterning, and behavior in rodent and zebrafish animal models.
In the summer of 2019, Mia worked at Dr. Heidi Hamm’s lab at the Vanderbilt University, investigating the vascular contributions to Alzheimer’s disease. This project aims to build a better foundation for more effective treatments for patients with Alzheimer’s disease by looking at protease-activated receptor 4 (PAR4) and fibrinogen, a soluble platelet protein, as crucial factors contributing to the progression of the disease. Mia has presented this research at the Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy Research Symposium (VSSA) at Vanderbilt University in August 2019, and at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Diversity Conference in Chicago, IL in October 2019. In the summer of 2020, Mia participated in the Leadership Alliance’s virtual summer research experience program at Brown University, where she worked with Dr. Christopher Moore’s lab to develop a bioluminescent database for the NeuroNex Bioluminescent Hub. Mia presented this project at the Leadership Alliance National Symposium in July 2020 and will also present this at the SfN Diversity Virtual Conference in October 2020. During the academic year, Mia works under Dr. Nesha Star Burghardt at Hunter College, researching the potential effects that prenatal exposure to curcumin has on depression and anxiety in adult mice. |