Our core principles
We're enthusiastic team players and we're committed to doing science that is rigorous, reproducible, and translatable.
Our field, our funders--and most importantly, all those struggling with mental illness--deserve no less.
We're committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome trainees and collaborators from underrepresented backgrounds and actively seek to reduce inequity and discrimination. By learning from each other, we hope STAAR Lab can help train the next generation of ethical, clinically-informed circuit neuroscientists.
The Team
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Neir Eshel, MD, PhD
PI, co-founder
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Neir is an Assistant Professor in Stanford's Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. He earned his A.B. summa cum laude from Princeton, M.Sc. from University College London, and M.D.-Ph.D. from Harvard, before entering Stanford's psychiatry residency. Outside of lab, he sees patients in Stanford's LGBTQ+ clinic, loves playing chamber music, and makes a mean pear chocolate torte. For more info, check out his Stanford profile, CV, and Google Scholar page, or write him directly!
Jason Tucciarone, MD, PhD
Co-founder, collaborator
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Jason graduated from the research-track psychiatry resident at Stanford. He received his M.D.-Ph.D. from Stony Brook University, conducting his graduate research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. He is passionate about understanding the neural circuits of opiate use disorder. Outside of lab and clinic, he's a talented artist (his drawings adorn the walls of STAAR Lab) and loves spending time with his wife and toddler.
Amber Osterman
Research Assistant
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Amei Shank
Research Assistant
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Amber is a recent graduate (’19) of Smith College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology. In the last two years she has been an NIMH Post-Bac researcher at Vassar College in Dr. Bojana Zupan’s lab. Amber plans to attend graduate school to study the relationships among genetic and environmental factors programming neurodevelopment, brain function, sex differences, and behavior. Outside of lab Amber is an avid reader and gardener.
Amei graduated from Columbia University in 2021 with a B.A. in Neuroscience & Behavior. During her time there, she investigated cue-mediated spatial navigation in the dentate gyrus in the Hen Lab and volunteered as an EMT. Amei is fascinated by all things neuroscience and hopes to continue her learning through pursuing medicine. Outside of the lab, Amei enjoys learning new instruments, trying her hand at challenging recipes, reading, and exploring the bay.
Zoe Zhang
Post-doc
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Hugo Martin
Post-doc
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Hugo is a postdoctoral researcher investigating the role of serotonin and dopamine in the neurobiology of frustration. He obtained his PhD at the University of Bordeaux, focusing on the role of serotonin and insulin interaction in the development of metabolic-induced emotional disorders. Passionate about understanding the mechanisms underlying psychiatric diseases, he aims to develop projects at STAAR lab with a translational purpose. In his free time, Hugo enjoys spending time riding his bike to discover the flourishing nature of California and also playing basketball.
Gavin Touponse
Medical student
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Gavin is a Stanford medical student investigating the role of dopamine in reinforcing behavior. He completed his undergraduate studies in Chemistry and Biology at Emory University where he also worked in a biomaterials research lab. In Atlanta, Gavin helped lead a volunteer first responder organization providing free emergency medical services for the nearby community. In his free time, he enjoys reading, playing guitar, and exercising.
Daniel Cardozo Pinto
Graduate student collaborator
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Daniel is a neuroscience PhD student in Rob Malenka's lab, supported by fellowships from the National Science Foundation and Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His thesis research integrates optogenetics, calcium imaging, viral tracing, and behavior to understand how dopamine and serotonin neurons work together to drive learning. He collaborates with the STAAR lab to integrate fiber photometry with operant conditioning. Other STAARs know him as a master beer brewer.
Blake Zhou
Graduate student
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Blake is a first-year in the neuroscience PhD program at Stanford. They received a BS in brain and cognitive sciences in 2020 from MIT, where they studied adult neurogenesis in rodents in the Heiman lab and profiled recurrent thalamocortical networks in the Sur lab. Blake is interested in learning, neurodevelopment, and aging. In their free time, Blake enjoys cooking, crafting, and firespinning.
Ariana Rodrigues
Undergraduate
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Ariana is a Stanford undergraduate who is passionate about science and math. She is fascinated by neuroscience, and the world of biology in general, and hopes to further study these areas in college by possibly majoring in fields such as neurobiology or biochemistry. In her free time, she loves to draw, read, play piano, and tutor elementary students. She is thrilled to be a part of STAAR Lab’s research!
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Anjali Temal
Undergraduate
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Anjali is a junior at Stanford majoring in Psychology on the premed track. She is broadly interested in the neural basis of psychiatric conditions like addiction and depression. Outside of lab, Anjali staffs at the Bridge Peer Counseling Center, where she helps provide free, anonymous counseling to members of the Stanford community. In her spare time, Anjali enjoys sharing meals with friends/family and playing We're Not Really Strangers.
Michaela Guo
Undergraduate
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Michaela is a Stanford undergraduate studying Human Biology, concentrating in Behavioral Health Care and Policy. She is interested in the way humans learn, how the neural mechanisms that drive learning are altered in disease states, and how policy shapes our access to behavioral health care. When she's not in lab, she spends her time volunteering at a free clinic, with Asian Women's Alliance on campus, or making art and music.
Brandon Bentzley, MD, PhD
Co-founder, on leave
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Brandon is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford, on leave starting 2021 as the founder and CSO of Magnus Medical. He received his bachelors in physics from The College of New Jersey and his M.D.-Ph.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina. He is passionate about developing treatments for substance use disorders. Whenever he's not building equipment in STAAR Lab, he's forging, welding, or otherwise manufacturing precision machines in his garage.
Rob Malenka, MD, PhD
Senior Advisor
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Rob is the Pritzker Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Pritzker Laboratory, and Deputy Director of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute at Stanford. Over a 30+-year career, he has made foundational contributions to our understanding of brain plasticity and the control of motivated behavior. He makes STAAR Lab possible, contributing his resources and expertise to all of our projects.
Former STAARs
Lara Taniguchi
Research assistant
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Lara was born and raised in Japan and moved to the US to attend college. She graduated from UC Berkeley in 2019 with a major in neurobiology and a minor in toxicology. She plans to attend graduate school to study the neural mechanisms of psychiatric disorders such as addiction and eating disorders. Outside of the lab, Lara loves to dance, run, swim, hike, try new food and write Yelp reviews, travel, and watch K-dramas.
Alexa Groome
Research assistant
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Alexa is a graduate of Wake Forest University, where she received her BA in Psychology in 2019. She is currently in a post-baccalaureate program to complete her pre-medical school requirements, and intends on pursuing psychiatry. She is originally from New Jersey but prefers the Bay area weather! In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering for a telemedicine non-profits and exploring California’s state parks.
Allan Wang
Medical student
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Allan is a Stanford medical student investigating the role of dopamine in motivated and compulsive behaviors. He completed his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University, where he studied Neuroscience and Philosophy, and an MPhil at the University of Cambridge in the History and Philosophy of Medicine. He is originally from the Chicago area, and in his free time, he enjoys cooking, crossword puzzles, and playing tennis.
Marija Kamceva
Medical student
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Marija is a Stanford medical student investigating the frustration-aggression model of behavior, particularly in female animals. A first-generation college student, she graduated from Yale, where she helped lead multiple LGBTQ+ organizations and first caught the neuroscience bug. When not in clinic or lab, she continues to be involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy and hopes to pursue a residency in psychiatry.
Zane Conant Norville
Undergraduate
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Zane is a Stanford graduate who majored in Bioengineering. He worked in the Malenka and STAAR labs since his frosh year, and completed a senior honors thesis that combined machine learning with optogenetic stimulation and fiber photometry during aggressive behavior. Outside of the lab, he is the National Co-President of United Students for Veterans' Health and enjoys distance running and spending time outdoors.
Our funders
Our lab is located right in the heart of Stanford's medical campus
Don't miss the Chihuly glass sculpture in the lobby of our building