Core Members
Greg Fonzo, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Dell Medical School. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia Honors Program in 2005 with a dual bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology. He received his doctorate in clinical psychology in 2013 from the San Diego State University/University of California-San Diego Joint Doctoral Program. He completed his clinical internship at the Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Prior to joining the faculty at Dell Medical School, Fonzo completed two postdoctoral research fellowships. The first was a T32 Biobehavioral Research Fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and the second was an Advanced Fellowship in Mental Illness at the Sierra-Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. Dr. Fonzo’s research focuses broadly on utilizing neuroscience tools to understand mechanisms of affective disorder psychopathology and treatment and leveraging this understanding to improve clinical care and patient outcomes. In his free time, he enjoys live music, flotation, hiking, nature, and boating.
Lab Chief and Founder
Dr. Manoj Doss completed his PhD at the University of Chicago with Professors David Gallo and Harriet de Wit investigating the acute effects of psychoactive drugs on emotional episodic memory and memory distortion. He then worked as a postdoctoral scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with Professors Frederick Barrett and Roland Griffiths investigating the acute and persisting effects of psychedelics on cognition and brain function. Manoj utilizes complex cognitive paradigms, neuroimaging, and computational modeling to explore what makes psychedelics unique compared to other classes of psychoactive drugs in terms of their basic effects and their therapeutic mechanisms.
Research Fellow
Bryan Barksdale, MD, PhD, is currently a PGY-4 psychiatry resident at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. He grew up in Austin and considers it his hometown. He completed his undergraduate degree, a bachelor of science in biology, at the University of Texas at Austin in 2009. It was during this time he first became involved in basic neuroscience research, completing an honors thesis investigating the primate visual system. He then completed his MD PhD in 2020 from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and the University of Texas at Austin in neuroscience. His graduate work focused on improving recovery after ischemic stroke by enhancing neuroplasticity during the rehabilitation phase. He joined Dell Med in the psychiatry residency program in 2021, where he has been working as a clinician providing direct patient care and pursuing the research track alongside mentor Gregory Fonzo, PhD. In his research, Dr. Barksdale is investigating low-intensity focused ultrasound as a novel neuromodulation technology and potential treatment for psychiatric disorders, with a particular focus on mood and addiction. He is passionate about helping realize the goal of precision medicine in the field of psychiatry and developing rapid-acting effective treatments with minimal adverse effects. Outside of work, you can find him at the climbing gym or swimming pool with his son.
PGY4 Psychiatry Research Resident
Lewis Leone is a clinical psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, working under the mentorship of Dr. Greg Fonzo in the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy. His research focuses on exploring effective ways to combine psychotherapy with psychedelics, understanding the psychological mechanisms of change in psychedelic treatment, and investigating the nature of psychedelic experiences in novel therapeutic contexts. Lewis’ work is characterized by a mixed-methods framework, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative analyses in order to investigate these areas. Additionally, as a practicing therapist at a private clinic in Austin, Lewis is particularly interested in translating research findings into clinical treatment.
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student
Lauren Enten is a research coordinator working for the Fonzo Lab in the Department of Psychiatry at Dell Medical School. She graduated with University Honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021 with a bachelor’s of science and art in biochemistry and minors in business and psychology. Prior to joining the Fonzo lab at Dell Medical School, she worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Mental Health Research in the Anxiety and Health Behaviors Lab for 4 years. Here, her research focused on identifying targets for intervention and investigating the effectiveness of promising behavioral and integrative treatments. Lauren is interested in using translational research methods to develop and evaluate current therapeutic strategies and pinpoint characteristic risk markers to better inform future clinical practices. In her free time, Lauren enjoys working on creative projects, going to see her favorite musicians, and trying new restaurants or recipes.
Senior Research Coordinator
Annamarie DeMarco is a Research Associate in the Fonzo Lab within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Dell Medical School. She graduated with honors from Texas Christian University where she obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology with a minor is Spanish. Annamarie has previously worked in other research environments including a neuroscience lab focused on the role of alcohol consumption in reward processing, as well as a clinical research institute focused on CNS medication trials. Her research interests are centered around studying the neural circuitry and neuroplasticity of mood disorders in order to develop novel therapeutic interventions. In her free time, Annamarie likes to bake, read, and listen to live music.
Senior Research Associate
Armin Panjvani is a Research Associate at the Fonzo Lab within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Dell Medical School. She graduated with University Honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022, earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Asian American Studies, as well as a certificate in Spanish for Medical Professions. During her time at UT, Armin focused her studies on multicultural psychotherapy practices and mental health stigma in Asian American populations. She continued this work in her previous role at the City of Austin’s Asian American Resource Center. Currently, her research interests are in the development of novel therapeutic interventions and bridging the gap between research and clinical practice to enhance treatment outcomes. Armin plans to attend graduate school in Social Work next Fall, where she will focus on increasing accessibility of mental healthcare for marginalized populations. In her free time, Armin enjoys reading, photography, and spending time with her one-eyed cat Leela.
Research Associate
Morgan Ouren is a Research Associate at the Fonzo Lab in the Department of Psychiatry at Dell Medical School. Morgan graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 2024, with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience. Prior to joining the Fonzo Lab, Morgan worked in a rodent lab where they investigated the role of specific neural circuitry on behaviors associated with schizophrenia. Morgan’s research interests lie in the observation of molecular biomarkers to aid understanding of the pathology of neurological disorders. In their free time, Morgan creates multimedia art using crochet techniques, and loves to hike and camp in the hills of Central Texas.
Morgan Ouren, B.S.
Research Associate
Kale Boesel is a Research Associate in the Fonzo Lab in the Department of Psychiatry at Dell Medical School. They graduated with honors from St. Edward’s University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in communication studies. Kale previously worked as a research assistant at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler as part of the Texas Youth Depression and Suicide Research Network. Here, their work focused on collecting data to gain new insights on depression and suicidality in Texas youth. In their free time, Kale enjoys reading, working on creative projects, and taking care of plants.
Research Associate
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Affiliate Members
Abhranil (Neel) got his BS-MS in Physics from IISER Kolkata, India. He then came to Texas and received his PhD in Physics from UT Austin, while working in the Wilson Geisler lab on computational and visual neuroscience. He is now a postdoctoral researcher in the Geisler lab and is working in collaboration with the Fonzo lab in the Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy on utilizing visual eye-tracking to measure cognitive and emotional healing. In his free time, Neel loves backpacking and the outdoors, has a podcast on science and spirituality, and sometimes makes art and electronic music.
Postdoctoral Researcher
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Lab Alumni
Rachel Kline is a former Research Associate at the Fonzo Lab in the Department of Psychiatry at Dell Medical School. She graduated from St. Edwards University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and has returned to her alma mater to achieve her Masters of Arts in Counseling. Rachel previously worked as a research assistant at the University of Texas PsyBrain Lab for two years. She worked on the TRACK-TBI project that focused on longitudinal research investigating Traumatic Brain Injuries through neuroimaging. She also worked on the Meta-Analytic Connectivity Modeling project that looked at functional connectivity in the superordinate cognitive control network. Rachel has now continued on to graduate school to become a licensed therapist.
Senior Research Associate
