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.
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.
Katya Stepanova, Ph.D.
During her PhD, Katya was co-mentored by Christopher Deppmann, where she studied the role of Schwann cells in injury-induced neurodegeneration. She is now heading to the University of Pennsylvania to join Dr. Amita Sehgal's lab.
Josie Puckett | Undergraduate Researcher
Josie is a third-year undergraduate student studying global public health with a minor in biology. She works with Naudia to understand the lower esophageal sphincter’s connection to the vagus nerve and its effect on achalasia and GERD. Outside of academics, she works as a resident advisor and spends her free time playing pickleball, reading, and dancing.
Divya Narayanan | MD-Ph.D. Candidate, with Prof. JC Cang
Divya Narayanan is a MD-PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Graduate Program co-mentored by JC Cang. She earned a B.A. in Flute Performance and B.S. in Neuroscience from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022. In the Campbell and Cang labs, she is interested in studying molecularly-defined circuits within the superior colliculus and how they go awry in neurodevelopmental disorders. Outside of lab, she runs long distances, bakes pastries, and tries to learn new flute repertoire!
Not Shown
Lizzie Godschall, co-mentored Ph.D. candidate (Biology), with Prof. Ali Güler
Cate Bundon - undergraduate researcher
Lane VanderVoort - undergraduate researcher
Naudia Gay - Ph.D. candidate
Emily Davis - undergraduate researcher
Travis Heinrichs - 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
Yuanming Liu, Ph.D., 2019 - 2025, subsequent position: postdoctoral fellow with Sven Dorkenwald and Fan Wang, MIT
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, 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
Emma Marco, 2023 - 2025
Ashlyn Dever, 2023 - 2025
Staff Alumni
Katie Shouse-Cox, 2024 - 2025