Graduate Students

Carina Meinke - Integrative Biology - Neuroscience
Room 113, MC-17
Email: carnold2019@fau.edu

Carina is a native of Germany and pursued her graduate degree at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, studying pharmaceutical sciences and technologies. At FAU, she is pursuing her doctoral studies in the FAU-Max Planck IMPRS program. In the Blakely lab, she is investigating the cellular, physiological and behavior impact of phosphorylation in the presynaptic serotonin transporter (SERT) using in vitro and in vivo approaches, with an eye to how altered phosphorylation drives changes in synaptic signaling and impacts risk for mental illness.

Cara Melillo

Cara Melillo is a student in the graduate program in experimental psychology at FAU, specializing in behavioral neuroscience. Her thesis project involves the use of a series of behavioral assays to explore the phenotypes of mice that have the MBLAC 1 gene deleted. MBLAC1 has been implicated as a risk factor in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and as a result she has focused primarily on cognitive phenotypes, as well as anxiety, a trait that emerges in many people with AD. Previously, she worked in a neuroscience lab at the University of Massachusetts studying a linguistic phenomenon the Bouba Kiki effect. Additional research topics of interest include neuropsychology, neurobiology, and psychopharmacology.

Gabriella Smith

Gabriella Smith is a doctoral student in the FAU Neuroscience Graduate Program in the Blakely lab, pursuing research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying a rare dopamine transporter mutation, DATVal599. This rare mutation was identified in humans who were diagnosed with ASD, Bipolar disorder, and ADHD, inspiring the lab to develop a DATVal599 knock-in mouse model. Her research aims to use both in vivo and in vitro approaches on this model to further advance pharmacological and behavioral therapies for disorders characterized by dysregulated dopamine homeostasis.

Allison Walsh - Neuroscience
Room 113, MC-17
Email: awalsh2020@fau.edu

Currently a doctoral student in the Blakely lab, Allison is working on the connection between neuropsychiatric disorders and altered serotonin signaling, with a special emphasis on the presynaptic serotonin transporter (SERT) and neuroinflammation. Her research interests in neuroscience are, broadly-speaking, the interaction between our environment, genetics, and health. Previously, she earned a graduate degree in public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a focus on environmental health. Later she pursued graduate research in the Experimental and Clinical Neuroscience program in Germany at the University of Regensburg. It was during this time in Germany that Allison honed her passion for better understanding the molecular and genetic underpinnings of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Outside of the lab, she enjoys yoga and time at the beach.

Manuela Zapata

Manuela Zapata graduated from Washington and Lee University in May of 2024 with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience. Her undergraduate studies centered on diseases such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and their connection to neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine, which sparked her passion for science. In the Blakely Lab, her research focuses on serotonin neurotransmission, exploring aspects such as transporter mutations and associations with inflammation, ultimately linking these factors to the pathogenesis of conditions like depression and anxiety.