Dr. Noble-Haeusslein is a Professor in the Departments of Neurology (Dell Medical School) and Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She directs a research laboratory that focuses on the pathobiology of traumatic injury to the developing brain and spinal cord with the goals of defining early mechanisms underlying cell injury and applying that knowledge to the development of candidate therapeutics for brain and spinal cord injured patients. Her interests are in matrix metalloproteinases as modulators of both early tissue damage and wound healing and the identification of temporally dependent, divergent phenotypes of polymorphonuclear leukocytes that are determinants of neurological recovery. She has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for well over 25 years, has served on study sections for that Institute, and has chaired two regular NIH/NINDS study sections. In addition, she has participated in 3 Institute of Medicine Committees on traumatic brain injury. Her research has been funded by the NIH, the Department of Defense, and the Craig H Neilsen Foundation.

View Full List of Publications on PubMed: Noble and Noble-Haeusslein

Mike is a research scientist in Dr. Linda Noble’s group. His current research interests include delineating the role of neutrophils as mediators of early secondary pathogenesis and determinants of long-term neurological recovery from childhood traumatic brain injury.  Mike began his scientific journey with a bachelor’s in biochemistry and cell biology from Rice University. He received his Ph.D. in neuroscience at UT Southwestern, studying the regulation of adult hippocampal neurogenesis by various drugs and disease models.  He completed postdoctoral training at UCSF, where his research pertained to the impact on hypothalamic serotonin on energy balance and stress response pathways.

William is a research associate in Dr. Linda Noble’s group. His interests include the effects of systemic molecular responses in the body following a traumatic injury. William received his B.S in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin where he worked in a lab studying the effects of timed feeding and macronutrient intake. Following this, William worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center studying the effects of novel postconditioning treatments on ischemia/reperfusion injury in isolated organs, mitochondria, and in-vivo systems. William owns an Illumina HiSeq 4000 Next Gen Sequencer.

Anakaren is a 3rd Year PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering working on a collaborative project focused on optogenetic control of bladder function in a model of spinal cord injury. Her research interests are focused on translational neural engineering, specifically in using optogenetic and sono-optogenetic techniques to treat trauma in the peripheral nervous system. In her free time, Anakaren likes to go to hot yoga and drink a lot of coffee.

Matthew is a fourth-year student pursuing a B.S. in Human Biology with certificates in Spanish for Medical Professionals, Business Spanish, Forensic Science, and Pre-Health Professions. His research interests include musculoskeletal diseases such as traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries. After graduation, he plans on enrolling in an MD program. In his free time, he enjoys reading, hitting the gym, nature, and playing basketball.

Riddhi is a 4th year undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. in neuroscience with a minor in science communication. Her research interests include chronic pain, neurodegeneration, and sleep science. After graduation, she plans on enrolling in a PhD program, after which she will work in the pharmaceutical industry. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano, exploring local coffee shops, and baking.

Shripriya is a fourth-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing a B.S. in Biochemistry. Her interests include how traumatic brain injuries play a role in generational pain and deficit and the behavioral effects of secondary pathogenesis in the cerebellum, thalamus, and brainstem. After she graduates, she hopes to enroll in an M.D./Ph.D. program and pursue a career in neuropsychology or orthopedics. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, hiking, and painting.

Morgan is a fourth-year student pursuing a B.S. in Neuroscience with a certificate in Core Texts and Ideas. Her research interests include traumatic brain injuries and functional recovery following spinal cord injuries. After graduating, she plans on enrolling in an MD PhD program. In her free time, she likes to go on hikes and read.

Will is a second-year UT undergraduate student pursuing a B.S. Neuroscience degree with certificate in Programming and Computer Science. He has been actively involved in the Noble lab since his freshman spring semester. He primarily works with and assists graduate student Anakaren. After graduation, Will aims to enroll in an MD program. In his free time, he enjoys reading, programming, and thrifting.

Kylee is a former PhD student in the Noble-Haeusslein lab. Her interests include traumatic brain injury, fear extinction and the underlying mechanisms that combine the two. She completed her undergraduate degree at Bowling Green State University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in both Psychology and Neuroscience. Her undergraduate research was focused on behavior, affect and motivation, specifically relative reward effects between restricted and non-restricted rats using a unique operant paradigm. After completing the requirements for her undergraduate degree, Kylee contributed to a research project that examined concussion-related alterations in neural activity during emotional processing.

Kaila is a former Ph.D. student in the Noble-Haeusslein lab. Her research interests focused on the heterogeneity of injury to the developing brain and how pre-injury factors influence recovery after traumatic brain injury. Her work in the lab studied how adverse rearing environments prior to TBI  impact regions like the hippocampus and cortex and the long-term consequences on learning and memory and social behaviors. Kaila entered doctoral candidacy in July 2020 and was awarded an F31 NRSA through the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development for her dissertation project. Kaila received her B.S. in Neuroscience from DePaul University in Chicago, IL. During her undergraduate career she participated in two projects involving medicinal and organic chemistry that were related to Alzheimer’s disease and novel styrene polymerization, respectively. After completing her undergraduate studies, Kaila accepted a position as a clinical research coordinator for the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis at The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. Her research has resulted in peer-reviewed publications in the areas of organic chemistry, clinical outcomes in multiple sclerosis, and the TBI field. In her free time, Kaila teaches yoga for a black women’s wellness collective and cycling in Austin.

View Full List of Publications: Parker

Maddie is a third-year medical student at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso, TX (and U.T. Austin grad!). Following her first year, she conducted research with the Noble Lab, contributing to a study on the effects of a novel compound in reversing brain injury. She also co-authored a textbook chapter on traumatic brain injuries in the developing mind from the clinical perspective. Maddie plans to pursue a residency in Diagnostic Radiology, with continued research interests in traumatic brain injury and the use of imaging biomarkers to predict recovery outcomes. She ultimately hopes to specialize in either Breast Imaging or Interventional Radiology.

Lauren graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Virginia. She was here for the academic year of 2022-2023 assisting in the investigation of spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury in the mice model. She is heavily interested in pursuing neurology as a specialty and hopes to intertwine the work done in the Noble lab into her future academic research career.

Andrew was an undergraduate research assistant in the Noble Lab. His interests include studying both the implications of metalloproteinase activity following spinal cord injury, as well as neuroplasticity in infant and adult brains following traumatic brain injury. He earned a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, with a focus in cellular and biomolecular engineering. Despite coming to UT from Arkansas, Andrew was born in Houston and is a proud Texan at heart. He is now a medical student at University of Arkansas College of Medicine.

Ramona was a postdoctoral fellow in the Noble-Haeusslein lab from 2017-2020. While a part of the lab, she investigated mechanisms of inflammation as therapeutic targets for improved outcomes from neurotrauma. In 2019, she was awarded a F32 Postdoctoral National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2017 from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where she was awarded an F31 Predoctoral NRSA from NINDS for her work on age-related alterations to microglial activation, glucose uptake, and functional recovery from spinal cord injury. Prior to her graduate work, she received her B.S. in Psychology from Brown University and was a research associate at the UC Davis School of Medicine. She has published peer reviewed articles on in vivo and in vitro models of trauma and neuroinflammation, the use of positron emission tomography imaging for diagnostic and prognostic purposes, and animal models of autism spectrum disorders. She has served in an elected position as the newsletter officer for the Training, Education and Mentorship committee of the National Neurotrauma Society, and is a member of the Editorial Board for Neurotrauma for Frontiers in Neuroscience.

View Full List of Publications on Pubmed: von Leden RE

Vishnu is a recent graduate with a B.S. in Neuroscience. His interests include how traumatic brain injury play a role in motor function, especially in athletic performance. While in the lab, he worked on histology that completes a study examining the effects of traumatic brain injury on fear extinction behavior. After graduation, he hopes to enroll in medical school and possibly pursue a career in Neurology or Sports Medicine.

Angela is a recent graduate with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Business. She plans to take a gap year before entering medical school to dedicate herself to research and clinical experience. Her research interests revolve around child traumatic brain injuries (TBI), with a focus on the developmental processes in children transitioning into adolescence. Her long-term goal is to specialize in pediatric neurology, blending her neuroscience background with her dedication to helping young patients.

Macy is a recent graduate with a B.S. in neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin. In the Noble lab, she worked with graduate student Kylee Smith to investigate the role of neutrophils in traumatic brain injury recovery in the pediatric mouse model. Macy’s specific role in this study included quantifying acute cell death and examining the long-term effects on neuronal density in the hippocampus. Macy is planning to attend graduate school for a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a desire to pursue a career in neuropsychology.