Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Dr. Xu received his Ph.D. in molecular biology at Stanford University, California and postdoctoral training in neuroscience at the University of California San Francisco, California. He subsequently became Professor at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC. In 2013, he moved to the Scripps Research Institute Florida.

Senior Staff Scientist

Juanji obtained her Ph.D. degree from Yonsei University, Korea, where she investigated the roles of dopamine receptor D2 and melanocortin receptors in the striatum and adipocytes. She is currently studying the neural basis for BDNF-regulated energy balance.

Graduate Student  

Robert obtained his B.S. from Virginia Tech in 2020, where he studied endocrine signaling in the developing Xenopus laevis brain. Currently, he is working to understand how BDNF signaling in astrocytes contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Graduate Student

Yuting obtained her BS degree in 2020 at China Agricultural University where she researched the role of Raf in aging-related memory impairment in Drosophila. She is currently studying the structure and function of pancreas-innervating nodose neurons and the central regulation of dietary fat intake in mice.

Graduate Student

Hannah obtained her BS degree in 2021 at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts where she studied metabolic and physiologic strain differences in responses to constant light in mice. She is currently investigating the regulation of BDNF gene expression by small molecules and the role of BDNF in synaptic development and function.

Postdoctoral Associate 

Heng obtained her Ph.D. degree in 2017 from the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, where she researched molecular and pharmaceutical strategies to promote motor axon regeneration and motor neuron survival after branchial plexus avulsion injury. She is currently investigating the role of microglia in brain disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and Alzheimer’s disease.

Senior Staff Scientist

Guey-Ying obtained her Ph.D. degree from University of Illinois at Chicago. She is currently studying the mechanism underlying diet-induced obesity.

Graduate Student 

Changran obtained her B.S. degree in 2019 from UNC-Chapel Hill where she studied the dietary and genetic effects on vitamin D metabolism in mice. She is currently studying the role of microglia in autism spectrum disorder.

Postdoctoral Associate

Zhonghou received his PhD from the University of Georgia, where he studied development and regeneration of the peripheral nervous system. He is currently studying how AgRP neurons in the hypothalamus are activated and how BDNF-TrkB signaling are transduced.

Graduate Student

Ryan obtained his B.S. degree in 2018 at Wuhan University of Technology. After graduation, he worked as a research assistant at University of Pittsburgh, where he developed in vivo dopamine sensors for rhesus macaque. He is currently studying neural circuits controlling energy balance.

Laboratory Administrative Coordinator III