Meet The Team
John Campbell, Ph.D. | Principal Investigator
John received a Neuroscience Ph.D. from VCU in Ben Churn’s lab and then did a postdoctoral fellowship in Brad Lowell’s lab at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he used single-cell genomics and genetic technology to understand the neural basis for appetite. His current research interest is unraveling the circuitry of the vagus nerve to understand how it controls the digestive, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Outside lab he enjoys family camping trips, cooking with his two kids, and early morning runs with his Siberian Husky.
Maisie Crook | Lab Manager
Maisie received her B.S. in Crime Scene Science from the University of Teesside, UK in 2010. After working in various scientific support roles she joined the Campbell Lab as a technician in 2019. Outside of lab she enjoys skating, photography, travel, playing bass, concerts and true crime.
Maira Jalil | Ph.D. Candidate
Maira is a graduate student from Gujranwala, Pakistan. She earned her B.S. in Applied Bioscience from National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad in 2018. Her research is focused on the single-nuclei genomic techniques and identifying neural circuits through which the brainstem control heart rate and lower esophageal function. When not in the lab, Maira enjoys cooking for friends, exploring places, doing DIYs, and going to gym.
Roberta Onoharigho | Ph.D. Candidate
Roberta is a graduate student in the Biology doctoral program. She earned her B.S. in Pharmacology from Delta State University, Nigeria. Her research focuses on understanding the neural circuits in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus that underlie energy expenditure. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading newsletters, listening to podcasts, and spending time with family and friends.
Yuanming Liu | Ph.D. Candidate, with Prof. JC Cang
Ming is a graduate student in the Biology Department. He earned his B.S. in Biotechnology from Sun Yat-sen University in China in 2017. He is co-advised by Dr. JC Cang and Dr. John Campbell and works on collaborative projects to identify the cell types of superior colliculus. When not in the lab, he enjoys cooking, having fun with friends and chatting with his family through video.
Mary MacMillan | Ph.D. Candidate, with Prof. Edward Nieh
Mary is a first year graduate student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program, co-mentored by Dr. Campbell and Dr. Nieh of the Pharmacology Department. Mary graduated from Cornell in 2020 and stayed to work as a lab manager before joining UVA in 2024. In the Campbell Lab, she is interested in the heart brain connection, in terms of identifying and functionally testing the cardiovagal neurons involved in parasympathetic control of the heart. In her free time, Mary likes to go on long walks, read, paint, and look at trees!
Libby Yoon | Undergraduate Researcher
Libby is a fourth-year undergraduate student pursuing a biology degree. She works with Roberta to understand the neural circuits in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus that underlie energy expenditure. Libby's post-grad goal is to attend medical school! Outside of the lab, she enjoys cooking, baking, sewing, and hanging out with friends.
Anna Grace Dickerson | Ph.D. Candidate, with Prof. Edward Nieh
Anna Grace earned a B.S. in Computer Science with minors in both Math and Biochem from Mississippi State University in 2023. She spent the next year working as a software engineer, and then the next year she went back to school for a PhD in Neuroscience. She joined both the Campbell Lab and the Nieh Lab in 2025 as a co-mentored student. She is most interested in the how the stress of undernutrition impacts the neuroendocrine system. In her free time she loves to run, get pastries with her husband or friends at cute cville coffee shops, and visit her family in New Mexico.
Addison Webster, Ph.D. |
Not Shown
Lizzie Godschall, co-mentored Ph.D. candidate (Biology), with Prof. Ali Güler
Katya Stepanova, co-mentored Ph.D. candidate (Quantitative Neurobiology of Behavior, Interdisciplinary Fellowship), with Prof. Chris Deppmann
Emma Marco - undergraduate researcher
Ashlyn Dever - undergraduate researcher
Cate Bundon - undergraduate researcher
Lane VanderVoort - undergraduate researcher
Naudia Gay - Ph.D. candidate
Josie Puckett - undergraduate researcher
Katie Shouse-Cox - Lab Technician
Emily Davis - undergraduate researcher
Graduate Alumni
Tatiana Coverdell, Ph.D, 2018 - 2022, subsequent position: clinical chemistry fellow, NIH Department of Laboratory Medicine
Nicholas Conley, Ph.D., 2018 - 2024, subsequent position: postdoctoral fellow with Lisa Beutler, Northwestern University
Addison Webster, Ph.D., 2020 - 2025, subsequent position: postdoctoral fellow with Michael Krashes, NIH/NIDDK
Undergraduate Alumni
Chelsea Li, 2018 - 2020, subsequent position: M.D./Ph.D. student, Stanford University
Natalie Schiavone, 2019 - 2021, subsequent position: Teach for America
Owen Trinkle, 2019 - 2022, subsequent position: Decision Analytics Associate, Decision Analytics Associate, ZS
Anirudh Gadicherla, 2019 - 2022
Lily Kauffman, 2019 - 2023, subsequent position: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Veronica Gutierrez, 2019 - 2023, subsequent position: medical school
Kandace Moore, 2021 - 2023, subsequent position: UNC Chapel Hill Post Baccalaureate Program
Dana Schwalbe, 2020 - 2024, subsequent position: Harvard University Ph.D. program on Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics