Our Alums!
Owen Neilan
Hello, my name is Owen and I’m from Swampscott, Massachusetts. I just graduated in Fall 2024 with a degree in neuroscience with minors in chemistry and emergency medical services. I am interested in exploring the intersection between medicine and biotechnology/biomedical engineering, specifically as it relates to neurological diseases. While in the group I was awarded the SURF award for summer research. Outside of academics, I am a rower on UVM’s crew team and a cellist in the UVM Symphony Orchestra. I currently work as a medical assistant at UVMMC!
Kira Gotwals
Hi! My name is Kira, and I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania about an hour north of Philly. I just recently graduated with a degree in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. I'm pre-med and have always had an interest in medicine, and I am particularly fascinated by the chemistry of the brain and how it impacts diseases and disorders. While in the group I was awarded the APLE summer research award. I love to climb, and most of my free time is either spent climbing at the gym or finding some other way to get outside. I currently work as a medical assistant at UVMMC!
Ella Partlow
Hi! I’m Ella and I’m from Swanton, Vermont. I’m currently a junior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Statistics. I enjoy learning about everything related to chemistry and neuroscience, and I am particularly interested in the development of biotechnologies to gather quantitative chemical data on certain neurological conditions like depression. While in the group I was awarded the NASA REU scholarship through the VT Space Grant Consortium/NASA EPSCoR, which funded my research for a year. Outside of academics I compete in powerlifting!
Terdha Narla
Hi. My name is Terdha. I was a pharmacology master’s student and was part of the Ou lab from 2022- 2024. During this time, I worked on three different projects where I developed electrochemical tools for in vitro sensing of tryptophan, copper, and short-chain fatty acids. This work led to co-authorship on two articles which are published in RSC Advances. The Ou lab was extremely supportive in all my research endeavors and helped me in building my capabilities. I am grateful to have received mentorship, guidance, and professional development opportunities from Dr. Ou and to have been part of her group. I am currently working as a laboratory technician in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Utah, and I plan to pursue doctoral studies in the future.
Nikki Villarini
Hi! I'm Nikki, and I graduated from UVM in the spring of 2023 with a B.S. in chemistry. I worked in the OU lab from 2022-2024, initially as an undergraduate research assistant and later as a laboratory technician. During my time in the OU lab, I worked on a project that integrated molecularly imprinted polymers with CFMs for the selective detection of met-enkephalin using FSCV. Our work on MIPs has recently been published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces! While in the group I wa awarded the Chemistry Award for Excellence in Analytical Chemistry. Currently, I’m pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at Colorado State University, where I will continue to explore the field of analytical chemistry. I am forever grateful for the friends that I made and the opportunities that I received during my time in the OU lab!
Isabella Schapira
My name is Isabella Schapira I was a chemistry major who worked in the lab from 2021-2023. I worked on developing a method to measure tryptophan using FSCV and CFMs and I’m super proud that my work on this project recently got published! After graduating from UVM, I got a position as a QC Analytical lab technician with Bausch and Lomb. I’m super grateful for my time in the OU lab and I’m excited to continue my career in analytical chemistry.
Anna Sellon
Hi my name is Anna and I was in the Ou lab from 2021 - 2023. In 2023 I graduated with a dual degree in Neuroscience and Environmental Science. While in the group, I spearheaded the project adsorbing acetylcholineesterase and choline oxidase onto carbon fiber microelectrodes for acetylcholine detection in the rat hippocampi. I was also awarded the SURF award for summer research from UVM FOUR. You can read about my work through my honors thesis: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/591/. Currently I am working toward my goal of being an MD/PhD!
Maggie O’Neill
Hi my name is Maggie and I joined the Ou group in 2021. I graduated in 2023 with a degree in Biochemistry. While in the Ou group, I worked as an undergraduate researcher and then later as a lab technician. While in the group I helped creating a sensor for tryptophan detection and spearheaded a project measuring basal levels of melatonin in pinealocytes. Now I am working as a QC Microbiologist at NaturesPlus!
Haruka Kaiwa
Hi, I’m Haruka Kaiwa from Sendai, Japan. I’m a 2nd year master student at Yamagata University Yoshida lab(Yamagata, Japan). I worked on "Synthesis and Evaluation of Organic catalysts and Redox molecules for Power Conversion and Storage" in Japan. I collaborated from Oct. to Dec. 2022 to study the optimal conditions for measurements of melatonin at OU lab. After graduate Yamagata University, I will work as a researcher for Nippon Paper group in Japan. Vermont is the first time I have lived in the U.S.. I have climbed mountains 3 times in Vermont and love Vermont's nature and people. My hobbies are traveling, playing sports and taking pictures.
Nathan Robins
Nate worked in our lab as a lab tech from Jan 2021 - Dec 2021 and was instrumental in getting the lab started. He built many of the instruments that we use daily and has trained many of the students who are currently in the lab. While he was here, he loved skiing and hanging out with friends in VT. He has made numerous friends in the department and is universally adored. He has since returned to the UK, where he is currently studying as an MD student at King’s College.
Megan Lynch
Megan majored in neuroscience and minored in chemistry at UVM and graduated in Dec 2021. She was the first student to join the lab and worked diligently on separation of short chain fatty acids on GC-FID. She fearlessly worked on the project even though it was completely out of her field. She is now working as a medical assistant in Boston and is preparing for medical school.