Dr. Melissa Herman

(She/ her/hers)

Associate Professor, PhD

Substance abuse is known to alter neuronal connections, which can lead to clinical conditions of abuse. Melissa is specifically interested in the role of inhibitory networks (GABA!) in alcohol and nicotine addiction and how they change in order to produce adverse behavioral outcomes. She opened the Herman Lab in 2016 in the Department of Pharmacology at UNC in order to pursue these studies. Previously, Melissa trained as a multidisciplinary scientist with a broad background in neurophysiology and neuropharmacology techniques; she received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Georgetown University in 2010, working with Richard Gillis, and completed her postdoctoral work at The Scripps Research Institute with Marisa Roberto. When not in the lab, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family.

Devin Effinger

(he/ him)

Pharmacology Graduate Student

Graduating from the University of Colorado Denver in 2018, Devin received a BS in Psychology as a NIH BP Endure Scholar studying the effects of early life insults on brain development. He then completed a 2-year post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institute on Drug Abuse working under Dr. Charles Bradberry where he established and validated a novel economic choice self-administration model in non-human primates. In the Herman lab, Devin is interested in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds and is investigating how these compounds affect brain regions implicated in trauma-based psychiatric illness. Outside of the lab, Devin enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, running, playing hockey, skateboarding, and snowboarding. 

ManHua Zhu

(She/ Her/ Hers)

NEUROBIOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENT

ManHua graduated from George Mason University in 2015 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. She then completed a post-baccalaureate intramural research fellowship at NIH in Zayd Khaliq’s lab studying the intrinsic excitability of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. In the Herman Lab, she is investigating how activity and synaptic transmission in the VTA is altered following electronic nicotine vapor exposure and how that may contribute to nicotine addiction and withdrawal. Outside of the lab, she spends her time playing ultimate frisbee, attending concerts, and exploring new food venues in the area.

Sarah Magee

(She/her/hers)

Neurobiology Graduate student

Sarah Magee received her B.S. in Biology from Penn State University in 2019, where she also worked with Nicole Crowley studying the therapeutic effects of ketamine on binge drinking.

Maria Echeveste

(She/ her/ Hers)

Lab Technician

Maria graduated from Northeastern University in 2020 with a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience. During her undergraduate career she studied the physiological effects of emotion in Lisa Feldman Barrett’s Lab, as well the effects of Alcohol addiction in animal behavior in Dr. Valentina Sabinos Lab. As a lab technician in The Herman Lab, she hopes to expand her understanding of inhibitory networks on alcohol and nicotine addiction as well as the effects of co-use on behavior. Outside of lab Maria enjoys hiking, biking cooking and exploring new brunch places.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Alumni

Undergraduate Alumni

Neil Rogers Meredith Cone

Gillian Arleth

Jasmine Jahad