"We are greater than, and greater for, the sum of us." - Heather McGhee
The Snell lab prides itself on creating a laboratory environment where individuals at all education levels and backgroundscan increase their scientific self-efficacy, bring their whole selves, and feel their opinions and ideas are welcome!
TEAM HEAD
Dr. Heather Snell
Completed her undergraduate degrees in Biochemistry and English literature at Louisiana State University. She then returned home to Fort Worth, Texas, to complete her Ph.D. at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in the laboratory of Dr. Eric B. Gonzales. Her work combined cellular biology with pharmacology, receptor modeling, and whole cell electrophysiology to investigate the interactions of the GABAA ρ1 receptor with a class of drugs called guainidine compounds which block acid sensing ion channels (ASICS). She then joined the laboratory of Dr. Kamran Khodakhah at Albert Einstein College of Medicine to focus on understanding the receptors and channels underlying the intrinsic activity of the GABAergic cerebellar Purkinje cells in health, but also in cerebellar disorders, such as the most common form of Episodic Ataxia, Episodic Ataxia Type 2 (EA2). In January 2024, she established her own research program branching off from her work in the cerebellum in the Neuroscience department at Yale School of Medicine as as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor.
Meet the Team
The Snell Lab Members
Postdoctoral Associate
Nichelle Jackson, PhD
Dr. Nichelle Jackson pursued her undergraduate studies at Vassar College in Upstate New York where she earned her degree in Neuroscience and Behavior. Her academic journey then led her to the Midwest where she successfully earned her Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor under the guidance of Dr. Kevin Jones. During her doctoral research, Nichelle combined mutagenesis, pharmacology, and electrophysiology to investigate the mechanism by which open channel blockers like MK-801 interact with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDAR) ion channel pore.
Thrilled to start a new chapter, Nichelle is excited to bring the techniques she honed during her graduate studies to her research in the Snell lab. In her free time, she enjoys watching cooking shows to gather inspiration for her many baking endeavors.
Graduate Student
Brazil Bartholomew
Brazil is a first year graduate student in the INP program.
Graduate Student
Ryan Henry
Ryan is a first year graduate student in the INP program.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Dhakiya Knights
Dhakiya is a sophmore undergraduate student at Yale.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Sabrina Mo
Sabrina is a sophmore undergraduate student at Yale majoring in Neuroscience.
Visiting Undergraduate Researcher
Sydney Matthews
Sydney is a sophomore at Colby College from Connecticut majoring in biology with a concentration in neuroscience and double majoring in psychology. At Colby, she work in a neurobiology lab researching anxiety and behavior in Drosophila, as well as in the admissions office. Sydney love research and hopes to pursue a PhD in neuroscience after graduation. Outside of academics, Sydney is am always with friends, exploring Maine, and doing crafts- lately, has been really into knitting!
Visiting High school Student
Elijah Brown
Elijah is a Senior at Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven CT. He is excited to explore the neuroscience field.
Visiting High school Student
Adam Chouiki
Adam is a high school student interested in pursuing neuroscience in college. In his free time, he enjoys photography/videography, playing sports, and playing FIFA.
Postdoctoral Associate
Jacob Stagray, PhD
Jacob is a postdoctoral associate in the Snell Lab within the Department of Neuroscience at Yale University. He completed his PhD at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette under the mentorship of Dr. Karen Müller Smith. In this role, his primary focus centered around Fgfr1 involvement in astrocytes maintaining physiological roles across hypothalamic blood brain barriers. These roles involved alterations to neurovasculature and hypothalamic circuitry. His interests center around providing insights on how astrocytes are involved in neuronal, glial, and immune modulatory systems which are associated with affective/neurodegenerative disorders that alter neuronal physiological circuitry. He is also excited to work with channelopathies and proteinopathies. Upon joining the Snell Lab, Jacob has begun working with electrophysiology in mouse model systems. Ultimately, he is interested in working with elucidating physiological relationships between metabolism, neurovasculature, and neuronal circuits in the context of physiological aging and dementia associated phenotypes.
