Alyssa Weninger

Thesis advisors: Maria Lehtinen, Beth Stevens

Rotation labs: Rachel Wolfson, Stephen Liberles, Beth Stevens, Maria Lehtinen

For me, home is: Quincy, MA

Prior degree(s): Nutrition (BSPH), Neuroscience (BS)

Research experience before PiN: Undergraduate research in Dr. Ian Carroll’s nutrition lab at UNC looking at gut microbiota directed dietary supplementation as a treatment avenue for severe acute malnutrition. Summer research in Dr. Guoping Feng’s Lab at MIT working on assessing the specific neural circuitry for working and spatial memory and using TurboID proximity labeling to characterize the molecular architecture of excitatory synapses onto PV interneurons and their implications in ASD.

Current research interests: Blood brain barrier, neuroimmunology, gut-brain interactions

Interests outside lab: Running & dancing