Our Team

Ilakkia is a senior at Emory University who is majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She joined the Friess lab in summer 2019 as a participant in the Pediatric Student Research Program (PSRP). Being back home due to COVID has allowed her to continue working in the lab throughout her junior year. She has been responsible for analyzing behavioral data and tissue to understand the effects of various neuroprotective therapies as well as characterizing antibiotic exposure in pediatric TBI patients. In the future, she hopes to attend medical school and stay involved in neurotrauma research. Outside of the lab, Ilakkia enjoys doing improv comedy, singing, and playing the guitar.

McKenzie was a research technician in the Friess lab in 2016-2017. Her work included investigating the long-term sequelae of secondary hypoxemia after TBI. She is currently a law student at the University of Alabama.

Brian is an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, studying biology on the neuroscience track, with a potential minor in computer science. He plans to continue work in the lab through to graduation and hopes to find similar research in medical school.

Outside of lab and schoolwork, Brian likes to spend time with friends, eat out at as many restaurants as humanly possible, play guitar, sing, dance and play soccer.

As an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis studying genomics and computational biology, Alan focused his work on the efficacy of neuroprotective agent in neuronal and axonal mouse models with delayed hypoxemia following TBI. Alan is currently a medical student at University of Colorado.

As an undergraduate at Washington University studying genomics and computational biology, with a minor in finance, Uma was integral to the development of our model of delayed hypoxema following controlled cortical impact. She is currently a medical student at Baylor.

Camryn is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in neuroscience and minoring in anthropology. Since joining the Friess lab in January 2020, she has focused on the neuroprotective effects of minocycline following delayed hypoxemia after TBI.

Trey was a research technician in the Friess lab for two years after graduating from Washington University with a BS in neurobiology in May 2017. Trey was integral in developing our long-term behavior assessments as well as the introduction of restraint stress in our model. Trey is a medical student at the University of Colorado.

Kirill is a postdoctoral research associate in the Friess lab. Originally from Moscow, Kirill grew up in Malaga, Spain. He graduated with a biology degree and a Master’s in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Malaga, Spain. Later, Kirill completed his doctorate studies in morphine addiction in the same institution. He joined the Friess lab in the fall of 2020. He is focusing his effort on uncovering the role of oligodendrocytes after traumatic brain injury.

His interests outside of the lab are jogging, hiking and exploring the national parks in the U.S.

Sangeetha was a research technician in the Friess lab. She graduated from University of Madras, India with a Masters (MS) in Zoology. Before moving to Washington University, she was research staff at Vanderbilt University Head & Neck cancer and Nephrology programs and spent two years at the University of Missouri. Sangeetha’s research focused on the neuroprotective efficacy of minocycline, as well as changes in gene expression following secondary insults.

Sophia is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis who is planning on majoring in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology and minoring in French. She joined the Friess lab in the fall of 2018 and has been aiding in rodent fear conditioning behavior and analysis and tissue preparation to test the effects of neuroprotective therapeutics following delayed hypoxemia. She plans on continuing this research throughout her time as an undergraduate and would be interested in performing similar research while pursuing a medical degree in the future.