Seth Tomchik
Dr. Tomchik received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and Ph.D. in biology from the University of Miami. His postdoctoral research at the Baylor College of Medicine and The Scripps Research Institute focused on the neuroscience of learning and memory. He started his lab at Scripps Florida in 2012 and moved to the University of Iowa in 2022. His current research focuses on how learning and neuronal plasticity alter the flow of information in the brain, and how these normal processes are disrupted in disease states.
Aaron Stahl
Dr. Stahl received a bachelor’s/master’s degree in biology from the University of Northern Iowa and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Cincinnati. His postdoctoral research focuses on the function of neuronal circuits underlying learning and memory.
Prabhat Tiwari
Prabhat received his PhD in Life Science from NCBS-TIFR, India. Before joining the Tomchik Lab, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Kansas State University. He has experience in Drosophila development and genetics. His current research focuses on neurofibromatosis type I during Drosophila development.
Valentina Botero
Dr. Botero earned her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavior from Mount Holyoke College and her Ph.D. in the Scripps' Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences. Her postdoctoral research in the Tomchik lab is focused on studying the effects of neurofibromin loss of function on metabolic homeostasis, including modulating metabolic rate, feeding, and energy stores.
Anneke Knauss
Anneke earned her bachelor's degree in Neuroscience from Luther College. She joined the lab in June of 2023 and is researching how Nf1 affects neuronal circuits and behavior.
Hannah Brunner
Hannah earned her bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Biology from Coe College. She joined the lab in May of 2023 and is focusing on the role of Nf1 in metabolic alterations.
Catherine Steele
Catherine earned her B.S. in Genetics at Iowa State University. She joined the lab in the Spring of 2024 and is focusing on the role of Nf1 in regulating metabolism and development.
Greta Dahlen
Greta is completed dual bachelor's degrees in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Psychology at Gustavus Adolphus College. She joined the lab in the summer of 2025. Her research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of Nf1 function.
Dangran (Daniel) Li
Daniel earned his bachelor's degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering at Jiangnan University and Master's of Pharmacy at Nanjing University. He is currently working toward his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology). His research in the lab focuses on how cellular signaling alterations influence metabolic function in neurofibromatosis type 1.
Cole Collins
Cole received his B.S. in Biology from Pensacola Christian College and is working toward his Ph.D. in Genetics at the University of Iowa. His research in the Tomchik lab focuses on the role of Nf1 in nervous system development and function.
Prerana Ramanan
Prerana received a B.S. in Microbiology, Biotechnology, & Chemistry from Jain University, followed by a M.S. in Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Maastricht. She is working toward her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Iowa. Her research in the Tomchik lab is focused on the mechanisms of learning and memory.
Kara West
Kara received her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Augustana College and joined the lab to carry out postbacc research. Her research focuses on how Nf1 impacts behavioral sequencing.
Jenny Wagenhoffer
Jenny is working toward her B.S. in psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is joining the lab for the summer of 2025 as part of the Biomedical Scholars Summer Undergraduate Research Program, carrying out research on the role of Nf1 in the nervous system.
Ethan Rosendahl
Ethan is pursuing a B.S. in Biology with a focus on Genetics and Biotechnology, along with a Certificate in Public Health at The University of Iowa. In the Tomchik lab, his research focuses on cellular and behavioral experiments to investigate how NF1 affects metabolism, behavior, and underlying cellular processes.
Alumni
Tamara Boto (postdoc) - Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience, University of Bristol
Thierry Louis (postdoc) - Founder, Atelier du Bois Louis
Marta Koch (postdoc) - Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology
Lanikea King (postdoc) - Regulatory Medical Writer, Agora Biosciences
Connor Broyles (postdoc) - Biochemist, Department of Defense
Genesis Omana Suarez (postbacc) - Graduate Student, Mayo Clinic
Anthony Lange (postdoc) - postdoc, University of Iowa
Jenifer Barrios (undergraduate intern, University of Iowa)
Chevara Joseph (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Yoheilly Velasquez (undergraduate intern, University of Puerto Rico)
Elizabeth "Liza" Lanzon (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Eliza Grenci (high school Kenan Fellow, Suncoast High School)
Kathi Jindachomthong (undergraduate SURF, Yale)
Nabil Othman (MSTP SUMR student, Marquette University)
Ritu Arya (master's student)
Afshin Khalili (visiting graduate student, Leibniz-Institut Fur Neurobiologie)
Kathy Dieppa (undergraduate intern, MIT)
Simone Ebert (AYRIU International Student, University of Cologne)
Jordan Albrecht (undergraduate intern, University of Alabama)
Breanna Jomsky (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Jordyn Sanner (undergraduate intern, Ohio Northern University)
Sara K. Simpson (undergraduate SURF Fellow, Boston University)
Ari Aviles (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Grace Chalhoub (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Eamonn Byrnes (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Samay Saxena (high school Kenan Fellow, William T. Dwyer High School)
Bridget Alaimo (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Santiago Montenegro (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Carmen-Maria Garcia (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Michelle Dennis (undergraduate SURF Fellow, Stevenson University)
Varun Lakshmannan (high school intern, South Fork High School)
Nicholas Tyndall (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Marcel Elkouri (undergraduate SURF Fellow, College of Wooster)
Alisha Goldberg (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Brandon Gilliland (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Stevencia Boisrond (high school intern, BallenIsles Fellow)
Ana Corra (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Cara Busheme (undergraduate intern, FAU)
Lab experiences
