People

Elizabeth K. Lucas, PhD | Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurobiology with secondary appointments in the Departments of Neurobiology and Psychology

Originally from rural Alabama, Dr. Lucas completed her B.S. in Psychology and Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and moved to New York City for her postdoctoral fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She launched her independent research program at North Carolina State University in 2018 and relocated her lab to UAB in July 2022. She is impassioned by how the brain controls behavior and how this behavioral control goes awry in psychiatric illness. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, hiking, traveling, live music, and board games.

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Nina E. Baumgartner, PhD | Postdoctoral Fellow

Originally from south Louisiana, Nina completed her PhD in 2021 at Tulane University. She fell in love with studying hormones during graduate school and is thrilled to continue studying them in the Lucas lab. Broadly, her research interests include the impacts of gonadal hormones and sex chromosomes on different memory systems and how various hormone systems interact to influence behavior. Outside of the lab, she enjoys sewing, cooking Cajun food, and spending time with her pets.

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Audrey Dahlen | Undergraduate Research Scholar

Audrey is an undergraduate student at UAB majoring in neuroscience with a minor in neuro-engineering and chemistry on the premed track. She is enrolled in the accelerated biomedical sciences program pursuing her masters degree. Outside of lab she enjoys reading, cooking, and going on runs.

Neysa Dechachutinan | Undergraduate Research Scholar

Neysa is an undergraduate student at UAB majoring in neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Biology. She is concurrently pursuing a master’s degree in Biomedical Science with a concentration in Neurosciences. Her research interests in the Lucas Lab consist of the sex-specific hormone differences and studying brain anatomy. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing video games, golfing, film photography, and ceramics.

Molly McNulty | Undergraduate Research Scholar

Molly is a senior at the University of Alabama at Birmingham triple majoring in Neuroscience, Immunology, and Biology with minors in Chemistry and Physics. She is a part of the Accelerated BS/MS Program where she is pursuing her masters in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Neuroscience on the pre-med route. Her favorite part of the Lucas Lab is the emphasis on sex differences in neuropsychiatric disorders.

May Rudd | Undergraduate Research Scholar

May is an undergraduate student at UAB double majoring in neuroscience and biology with a minor in neuro-engineering and chemistry. She’s currently pursuing a master’s degree in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Sciences through UAB’s ABM program. Her research interests are mechanisms underlying behaviors across species. Outside of the lab she enjoys oil painting, reading, and going to concerts. 

Dara S. Russell | Researcher I

Dara is an undergraduate student at UAB majoring in biology and minoring in philosophy. Animals are her passion, and she assists with animal husbandry in the lab. Her position here allows her to gain valuable experience as she prepares for veterinary school. In her free time, Dara enjoys reading, watching live music, and spending time with her dogs.

Alexa Jo Tellez | Graduate Student

Originally from Texas, Alexa attended UT El Paso where she investigated the neural mechanisms responsible for drug craving. She is currently a second-year Ph.D. student in the GBS Neuroscience theme. Outside of the lab, you can find her participating in grandma activities such as crocheting, reading, baking, and cuddling at home with her dogs.

Peter Teravskis, MD, JD | Psychiatry Research Resident

Dr. Teravskis is a resident research track psychiatrist with UABMC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology. He received his MD and JD as a part of a dual degree program at the University of Minnesota Medical School. During that time, he studied the molecular underpinnings of neurodegenerative disease in various mouse and in vitro models. He focused specifically on the action of MAPT (tau) protein in altering glutamatergic signaling at the postsynapse. His current research interests include the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders including trauma or stressor related disorders and anxiety. He is the proud owner of two dogs and enjoys creating mixed-media art in his free time.