Ashley Harms, PhD
Assitant Professor 
Frances and Beverly Dubose Fellow (2010-2015)
Project: “Role of innate and adaptive immune system in alpha-synuclein models of PD”
Department of Neurology
Texas A&M University, BS- Biology
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, PhD- Integrative Biology
and Neurosciences
anharms@uab.edu

Karen L. Eskow Jaunarajs, PhD
Instructor of Neurology
Francis and Heide Ingeborg Schumann Fellow
Project: “Molecular Etiology of Dystonia; The Role of DNA Methylation in
L-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesia”
Department of Neurology
State University of New York- Binghamton, BS-Psychobiology, MS-Psychology,
PhD- Behavioral Neuroscience
karenj@uab.edu

Graduate Students

David Figge
NINDS Ruth L. Kirchstein Pre-doctoral Fellow
Alacare Mary Sue Beard Pre-doctoral Scholar in Parkinson Disease and Dementia
Project: “Genetics of Levadopa Induced Dyskinesia”
Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP)
Marquette University, BS- Biomedical Science
figgeda@uab.edu

Chelsea Thompson
Project: “Effect of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in dystonia mouse models”
Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics Theme (GGB)
Millersville University, BS- Biology, minors in Chemistry and Anthropology
Cnthomps@uab.edu

Gregory Williams
Project: “The Role of T Lymphocytes in Synuclein Models of Parkinson Disease.”
Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics Theme (GGB)
Louisiana State University, BS- Biological Sciences, minor in Chemistry
gwill44@uab.edu

Aubrey Schonhoff
Project: “The Role of Microglial Activation and Peripheral Monocyte Entry in
Alpha-Synuclein-Induced Neurotoxicity.”
Neuroscience Theme
Rhodes College, BS- Neuroscience, minor in French
aschon@uab.edu

Research Staff

Xinru (Joy) Li, PhD
Research Associate
Department of Neurology
University of New South Wales, Australia, PhD- Neuroscience
xjoyli@uab.edu

Asta Jurkuvenaite, PhD
Research Associate
Department of Neurology
University of Alabama at Birmingham, PhD- Cellular and Molecular Biology
Asta@uab.edu

Josh Randolph
Research Technician
Department of Neurology
University of Alabama at Birmingham
joshr@uab.edu

Previous Lab Members

Aaron Thome, PhD
Project: “Microglia Orchestrate the Inflammatory Response to Alpha-Synuclein in Parkinson Disease Models.”
Graduated 2016

Shuwen Cao, PhD
Project: “Cytokine Signaling in a Mouse Model of Parkinson Disease.”
Graduated 2012

Travis Lewis, MD, PhD
Project: “Developing an Adenoviral Vector Platform for Selective Gene Delivery to Neurons”
Graduated 2011