Current Lab Members
PAUL GREER
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Paul is a Massachusetts lifer, never having lived outside of a two-mile radius from the hospital in which he was born. Despite this embarrassingly parochial upbringing, Paul has managed to experience a broad scientific training from a series of mentors to whom he remains incredibly grateful. For his doctoral work, under Mike Greenberg’s mentorship, he characterized mechanisms of synapse development and function relevant to human neurological disorders. Upon graduating from Mike’s lab, he joined Bob Datta’s lab, and ever since he has been investigating the mechanisms by which mammals respond appropriately to exteroceptive and interoceptive chemical cues.
ELANA CARLETON
MD/PHD STUDENT
Elana studied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UMass Amherst. After college, she spent one year in the Rauch Lab studying tauopathies and two years in the Venkatesh Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital studying the interplay of neuronal activity and brain cancers. She is currently an MD/PhD student at UMass Chan Medical School. In the Greer Lab, Elana is interested in the role of MS4A6A in glioblastoma progression and its protein-protein interactions. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends. She loves trying new hobbies, although she admits she’s not always the best at sticking with them.
MANISHA KUNALA
GRADUATE STUDENT
Manisha is a joint doctoral student with Jessica Spinelli. Her thesis work involves investigating prognostic metabolomics in the context of ALS.
MADI MARASCO
MD/PHD STUDENT
Originally from Wellesley, MA, Madi studied Biology at Clemson University before spending two years gaining further research experience at the NIH. Currently, Madi is an MD/PhD student where her work centers on improving outcomes in neurodegenerative diseases with a strong therapeutic focus. Her primary focus is on the role that MS4A receptors play in neurodegenerative pathology in traumatic brain injury. Outside the lab, you'll usually find Madi outdoors—hiking, sailing, or mountain biking with her border collie.
PAVAN RAO
GRADUATE STUDENT
Pavan aims to explore olfactory processing in murine models where the ability to differentiate among trillions of odors is vital for their survival. His work involves a combination of viral tracing, sequencing, imaging and behavior paradigms to determine how various cells within the olfactory bulb connect and work together to translate chemical signals into meaningful representations for the brain.
MEG HUSTON
GRADUATE STUDENT
Meg is fascinated by the mechanisms through which molecular signaling within the nervous system influences cognition, behavior, and neurological disease. Her research centers on the function of MS4A receptors in neurodegenerative disorders and their potential to guide the development of novel therapeutic strategies.