Emily Bunnell, Research Assistant

I am from Portland, Oregon, and currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Pitzer College in Southern California. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to work in the Raber Lab, and I look forward to gaining experience in neuroscience research and expanding my knowledge about neurodegenerative disorders. I hope to attend a graduate program in the near future to obtain a PhD so I can fulfill my long-term goal of becoming a clinical or behavioral neuroscience researcher. I am a member of the Pomona-Pitzer Volleyball team (go Sagehens!) and enjoy going to the beach, thrifting, listening to music, and painting.

Abigail O'Niel, Research Assistant

I was born and raised in Montana and moved to Washington in 2018. I attended Washington State University Vancouver and graduated with a bachelor’s in Neuroscience with minors in Spanish and Biology. I have a passion for the study of neurodegenerative disease and am thrilled to be working with Dr. Raber and his team. I have been fascinated with the brain and all it’s intricacies since human anatomy class my senior year of high school. My long-term goal is to obtain a PhD in Neuroscience and dedicate my career to meaningfully contributing to research in the “last frontier of science”. My hobbies outside of science include reading nonfiction novels, playing harp, fashion sewing, biking, dancing, and spoiling my 4 pound Netherland dwarf bunny.

Benjamin Matei, Medical Student

I am from Germany and currently studying medicine in Salzburg, Austria. Part of my studies include a research trimester which has to be concluded with a diploma thesis. I am especially interested in behavioral neuroscience and how behavior in general is altered by different factors like our environment our diet and genetics. While looking for a potential topic to conduct my research on, I stumbled over a publication from Professor Raber on the gut microbiome and its relation to neurological behavior via the gut-brain-axis. I contacted the Raber Lab and was granted the opportunity to take part in their research. I am truly excited and very grateful to learn how to conduct research and looking forward to being part of this team.
Besides my studies, I love going hiking, eating out at a good restaurant and travelling with my wife. I enjoy reading books, listening to music and playing board games.

Michelle Palumbo, Postdoctoral Fellow

I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and I received by BS from the University of California, Davis and my MS from Northwestern University. My PhD is from Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience at OHSU. As a postdoc I'm excited to work on delivering novel gene therapy tools across the blood-brain barrier for neurodegenerative diseases. In my free time I love to hike, backpack, and travel."