laviniab@sas.upenn.edu

Lavinia is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is expanding her research to explore the gut-brain pathways that regulate food choices, particularly in the context of exercise training. More >

ahyun@sas.upenn.edu

As a postdoctoral fellow in the Betley lab at the University of Pennsylvania, she is interested in exploring the neurobiological mechanisms underlying homeostatic and non-homeostatic food intake and their regulation. More >

nicsmit@sas.upenn.edu

Nick received his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University for his studies on the physiology of nucleus accumbens circuits. Nick’s work focuses on the contribution of mesolimbic reward circuitry to food consumption. More >

morgan.kindel@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Morgan graduated from Chapman University in 2019 with dual degrees in Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology. Now as a graduate student in the Betley Lab, Morgan is interested in how physical exercise changes the brain. More >

Nita.Rome@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Nita is a joint member of the Machado and Betley labs and is interested in internal verses external drivers of motivation and how they differentially modulate overlapping behaviors. More >

keekate@sas.upenn.edu

Kate is a PhD student co-mentored by the Arany and Betley Labs. Her research focuses on the effect of an mTOR pathway on tauopathy in a mouse AD model. She was awarded a Graduate Student Scholarship for Biomedical Sciences from the ASAN Foundation. More >

kmcelher@ucsd.edu

Kaitlyn received a B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience in 2024 from UC San Diego. She joined the Betley lab in the fall of 2024 as a research technician, where she focuses on how exercise impacts food preference in rodents. In the future she hopes to further her studies in graduate school. More >

mawh@uchicago.edu

Michelle received a B.S. in Neuroscience in 2023 from the University of Chicago. In 2024, she joined the Betley lab at Penn as a research technician, concentrating on learning and habit in mouse models of disordered eating, as well as autonomic responses to arousal. More >

Currently Principal Investigator, Monell Center for Chemical Senses

Alhadeff Lab

Currently Technical Applications Scientist, NanoString

In the Betley lab, Ryan focused on how coherent behaviors emerge when multiple survival needs are in conflict, and how hypothalamic circuits coordinate such behavioral priorities. More >

Kayla began working in the Betley Lab as a freshman with an interest in the neurobiological underpinnings of eating disorders. Upon graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022, she continued in the lab as a research technician. More >

Penn ’23 B.A. Neuroscience. Her research interests entailed the computational role of the cerebellum in adaptive behaviors such as feeding and the neurobiological basis of eating disorders. More >