Lab Members
Devin K. Binder, M.D., Ph.D.
Originally from the Bay Area, Devin K. Binder went to Harvard University as an undergraduate, where he studied biology, anthropology, and neuroscience. He was awarded the Hoopes Prize at Harvard for his summa cum laude senior honors thesis “Serotonin and behavioral state.” Deciding to pursue both neuroscience and clinical medicine, he enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. program at Duke University. At Duke, he graduated 1st in his medical school class, and contributed to epilepsy neuroscience with his Ph.D. dissertation “The functional role of neurotrophins in the kindling model of epilepsy.” Subsequently, Dr. Binder completed a one-year internship in general surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and a six-year residency in neurological surgery at UCSF. At UCSF, he did a one-year fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Alan Verkman, leader in the field of aquaporin biology. Following residency, Dr. Binder was awarded the Van Wagenen neurosurgical fellowship for one year of neuroscience and neurosurgery at the University of Bonn. There, he did another fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Christian Steinhäuser, Director of the Institute for Cellular Neuroscience at the University of Bonn. Following a three-year stint at the University of California, Irvine, in the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Anatomy & Neurobiology, Dr. Binder joined the Division of Biomedical Sciences at the University of California, Riverside in January 2010. Dr. Binder is a dedicated teacher, having won awards for teaching at Harvard, Duke, UCSF, and UCI. He welcomes all those interested to apply to the laboratory for more information.
Carrie R. Jonak, B.S.
Carrie R. Jonak received her B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2011. She began her career at the University of California, Riverside in 2013 and her research focused on reproductive neuroendocrinology. She joined the Binder lab in 2016 and has brought her expertise with her position as lab manager and research associate. In addition to providing laboratory managerial support, she is using multielectrode array (MEA) analysis to identify novel electrophysiological biomarkers in mouse models of traumatic brain injury (TBI), multiple sclerosis (MS), and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Her research also focuses on using MEA analysis to test the efficacy of potential new drugs for the treatment of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) that will translate to human clinical trials.
Terese Garcia, B.S.
Terese Garcia received her B.S. degree in Neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside in 2021. She joined the Binder lab in 2018 as an undergraduate researcher and was hired as a Staff Research Associate in 2021. Her research focuses on the role of astrocytic aquaporin-4 water channels in the formation of edema following spinal cord injury.
Manolia Ghouli, B.S.
Manolia Ghouli graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2017 with a B.S. in Biochemistry with an emphasis in Medical Science. She is a Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. graduate student at the University of California, Riverside. Her research focuses on volume-regulated anion channels (VRAC) and astrocyte-specific volume effects on neuronal excitability. She is also investigating modulation of volume-regulated anion channels and water homeostasis as a potential therapeutic strategy for epilepsy.
Samantha Assad, B.S.
Samantha Assad received her B.S. degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside in 2022. She joined the Binder lab in 2019 as an undergraduate researcher and was hired as a Lab Assistant in 2022. Her research focuses on using multielectrode array (MEA) analysis and candidate pharmacological compounds to identify molecular mechanisms involved in auditory hypersensitivity in a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS).
Shreya Kakade
Shreya Kakade is an undergraduate researcher at the University of California, Riverside majoring in Biology. She joined the Binder lab in September 2021 and is currently assisting in identifying electroencephalogram (EEG) changes during epileptogenesis with histopathological correlation to the volume-regulated anion channels, VRAC.
Leo Chan
Leo Chan is an undergraduate researcher at the University of California, Riverside majoring in Biochemistry. He joined the Binder lab in June 2022 and is currently assisting in identifying electroencephalogram (EEG) changes during epileptogenesis with histopathological correlation to the volume-regulated anion channels, VRAC.
Navroop Sandhu
Navroop Sandhu is an undergraduate researcher at the University of California, Riverside majoring in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology. She joined the Binder lab in January 2023 and is currently assisting in testing the efficacy of potential new drugs for the treatment of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS).
Binder Lab Alumni
| Name | Current Position | Allison Peterson | Clinical research coordinator |
|---|---|
| Patricia Pirbhoy | Research specialist, UC Irvine | Manbir Sandhu | Medical student, UC Riverside | Jacqueline Barbosa | Undergraduate student |
| Jenny Szu | Field application scientist |
| Jonathan Lovelace | Postdoctoral scholar, UC San Diego |
| Thomas Murphy | Postdoctoral scholar, UC Riverside | Dillon Patel | Medical student |
| Som Chaturvedi | Medical student |
| Jackie Hubbard | Assistant Director of Chemistry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center |
| Alex Halim | Medical student, University of Virginia |
| Alexander Lin | MSTP student, UC Irvine |
| Amandip Gill | Neurosurgery resident, UC Irvine |
| Christopher Owen | Neurosurgery resident, UC Irvine |
| Mariam Amini | Medical student, Pomona |
| Andy Treister | Medical student, UC Irvine |
| Anish Nanduri | Medical student, Pomona |
| Gi Eun Yang | Medical student, South Korea |
| Darrin Lee |
Neurosurgery resident and Ph.D student, UC Davis |
| Huzaifa Hakimuddin | Undergraduate, UC Irvine |
| James Yeh | Undergraduate, UC Irvine |
| Kiran Rajneesh | Neurology resident, University of Vermont |
| Marcus Seldin | Graduate student, Johns Hopkins University |
| Atsushi Kimura | Orthopedic surgeon and researcher, Japan |
| Devin McBride | Postdoctoral scholar, Loma Linda |
| Andrew Nakla | Medical student |