Current Lab Members

Jennifer Donegan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator

Donegan is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Dell Medical School. She holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Neuroscience at The University of Texas at Austin and is a member of the Institute for Early Life Adversity Research.

Donegan graduated magna cum laude from Texas Christian University with a B.S. in psychology. She obtained her Ph.D. in neuroscience from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Prior to joining Dell Med, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Pharmacology at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. Donegan has received numerous awards for her work, including a Travel Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and a BRAIN Initiative Pathway to Independence Award.

 

Jade Wollenberg, Research Associate

Jade graduated in 2022 from the school of Public Health at the University of Texas at Austin. Her main academic interests lie in the functional neuroanatomy of psychiatric disorders. In particular, the hypothalamus and cerebellum brain structures. In her free time she enjoys reading, coaching kids soccer, and trying out new coffee shops in Austin.

 

Jamie Palmer, Graduate Student

Jamie is a third-year student in the Institute of Neuroscience. She received her B.S. in Biology from Saint Joseph’s University in 2017 and her M.S. in Neuroscience from Temple University in 2020. Her main interests lie in the effects of early life perturbations and the impacts of these stressors on development and later-life behavior. When she’s not in the lab, Jamie enjoys cooking, doing CrossFit, and playing video games on her Nintendo Switch.

 

Jonathan Artz, Psychiatry Resident

Jonathan is a third-year psychiatry resident interested in the clinical management and pathophysiology of schizophrenia and psychotic disorders. He obtained an MD from Texas A&M College of Medicine in 2020, a MS in biomedical sciences from UNTHSC in 2015, and a BS in neurobiology from UT Austin in 2013. He has prior experience in informatics and has previously worked on both clinical and basic science projects.

 

Lauren Rosta, Undergraduate Research Assistant

Lauren Rosta is a Neuroscience student at the University of Texas. She hopes to study the neurological alternations underlying Axis I psychiatric illnesses, and in her free time she enjoys baking, gardening, and pretending she knows how a VPN works.

 

Nora Meilan Li, Undergraduate Research Assistant

Nora is a Neuroscience and Plan II student at the University of Texas at Austin. She hopes to study the neural circuitry and anatomy behind psychiatric disorders. In her free time she enjoys practicing street-style dance, hiking, and listening to music.

 

Savannah Boyen, Undergraduate Research Assistant

Savannah is a third-year Neuroscience student at the University of Texas at Austin, with a minor in Social and Behavioral Sciences. She hopes to study the neural circuitry and treatments involved in movement and psychiatric disorders. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Austin, playing with her puppy, baking, and binging TV shows.

Former Lab Members

Alyssa Marron, Former Lab Manager

Alyssa is currently in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

 

Alexandra Sanchez, Former Research Associate

Alex is in the Psychology Graduate Program at the University of Florida.