Team

Principal Investigator

Mark received his bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and his doctorate in Psychology and Neuroscience from the Systems and Integrative Neuroscience program at Duke University in the lab of Henry Yin where he used in vivo electrophysiology and optogenetics to study how the basal ganglia regulate motivated behavior. He completed his postdoctoral training in neurobiology with Garret Stuber at the University of North Carolina and the University of Washington where he used deep brain two-photon calcium imaging, slice electrophysiology, and single-cell sequencing to investigate how lateral hypothalamic circuits guide feeding and obesity.

Postdoc

Kuldeep is interested in understanding the role of subcortical circuitry in normal and pathological feeding. He received a Master’s degree in Neuroscience from Jiwaji University in India (2013) then worked as research assistant in the Yoganarasimha Lab at National Brain Research Centre in India until 2016. He earned a PhD from the University of Haifa in Mouna Maroun’s lab in 2021 where he investigated age-dependent effects of acute high-fat diet on plasticity in corticolimbic circuits and neuromodulatory roles of glucocorticoids and oxytocin. Kuldeep joined the Rossi lab in 2022 to study the involvement of the lateral hypothalamus and associated brain circuitry in feeding and obesity.

Postdoc

Jorge received his Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry from UNAM Mexico. He then completed his Master’s and PhD in neurobiology of appetite at CINVESTAV in the laboratory of Ranier Gutierrez where he used electrophysiology, optogenetics, and instrumental conditioning to understand how the brain controls motivation, appetitive, and consummatory behaviors. During these investigations Jorge found that brain perturbations could be perceptible, a phenomenon that they termed  optoception. Jorge joined the Rossi lab in 2023 and is interested in identifying specific clusters of neurons related to motivation and consumption through calcium imaging. 

Research Associate

Yi received his Bachelor's degree in Preventive Medicine from Nantong Medical College in China (2007), his Master’s degree in neurophysiology from the Second Military Medical University in China (2012), and his PhD in neurobiology at Zhejiang University (2018) in the lab of Shumin Duan where he combined EEG/EMG recordings with optical stimulation, behavioral testing and optetrode recordings to study the effects of slow-wave sleep on spatial memory. Yi then worked with Zhiping Pang at Rutgers where he studied neuropeptide regulation of hypothalamic circuits and feeding behaviors. Yi joined the Rossi lab in 2024 to study lateral hypothalamic circuits controlling feeding and obesity via electrophysiology and deep brain two-photon calcium imaging. 

Postdoc

Annie received her Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience at Middlebury College, Class of 2016. As a postbaccalaureate, she worked in Dr. Yasmin Hurd's laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In 2020, she joined Dr. David Root's laboratory at the University of Colorado Boulder. In 2025, she earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience, dissecting the function of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in appetite and stress. Annie joined the Rossi lab in 2025 to study lateral hypothalamic circuitry using single-cell imaging and electrophysiology. 

Visiting Researcher

Vibha received her Bachelor's degree in Biology from Rutgers University in 2025. She is interested in visualizing hypothalamic circuitry and exploring the neural mechanisms underlying behavior. In her free time, she enjoys trying new foods and spending time outdoors.   

Undergraduate Researcher

Jenyvib is a Rutgers University Honors College student majoring in biochemistry. She participated in the CHIRP Summer Research program in 2024.

Undergraduate Researcher

Aiden is an undergraduate at Rutgers University pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Biochemistry. He is passionate about integrating technology with the life sciences, focusing on developing tools with real-world applications, particularly in artificial intelligence and computer vision. In his free time, he enjoys bird watching and reading. 

CHIRP Summer Research Assistant

Chloe is a Rutgers University Honors College undergraduate student majoring in biology and minoring in nutrition. In her free time, she loves staying active through hiking, skiing, or going to the gym. She also enjoys trying new foods, baking/cooking, and traveling.