Emily Bunnell, Research Assistant

I am from Portland, Oregon, and currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Pitzer College in Southern California. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to work in the Raber Lab, and I look forward to gaining experience in neuroscience research and expanding my knowledge about neurodegenerative disorders. I hope to attend a graduate program in the near future to obtain a PhD so I can fulfill my long-term goal of becoming a clinical or behavioral neuroscience researcher. I am a member of the Pomona-Pitzer Volleyball team (go Sagehens!) and enjoy going to the beach, thrifting, listening to music, and painting.

Benjamin Matei, Medical Student

I am from Germany and currently studying medicine in Salzburg, Austria. Part of my studies include a research trimester which has to be concluded with a diploma thesis. I am especially interested in behavioral neuroscience and how behavior in general is altered by different factors like our environment our diet and genetics. While looking for a potential topic to conduct my research on, I stumbled over a publication from Professor Raber on the gut microbiome and its relation to neurological behavior via the gut-brain-axis. I contacted the Raber Lab and was granted the opportunity to take part in their research. I am truly excited and very grateful to learn how to conduct research and looking forward to being part of this team.

Besides my studies, I love going hiking, eating out at a good restaurant and travelling with my wife. I enjoy reading books, listening to music and playing board games.

Michelle Palumbo, Postdoctoral Fellow

I'm originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and I received by BS from the University of California, Davis and my MS from Northwestern University. My PhD is from Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience at OHSU. As a postdoc I'm excited to work on delivering novel gene therapy tools across the blood-brain barrier for neurodegenerative diseases. In my free time I love to hike, backpack, and travel."

Alexandra Pederson, Research Assistant

I was born in Snoqualmie, Washington but spent most of my life in western Montana where I finished high school and community college. I moved to Portland in 2019 to attend Washington State University Vancouver where I gained a bachelor's in Neuroscience with a minor in psychology in July of 2022.  I have a passion for neuroscience with a specific interest in behavioral neuroscience and sleep research.  I plan to one day obtain a PhD in Neuroscience and Im extremely excited to be a part of the Raber Lab. In my free time, I like to be outdoors or reading fantasy novels. 

Elizabeth Saltonstall, Research Assistant

I’m originally from Northern California but came to Portland to get an undergraduate degree at Lewis and Clark College. There, I earned my BA in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience. I began at the Raber lab as an intern in the Murdock Scholars program in 2023. Since then, I’ve gotten to work on a variety of projects here in the lab and have graduated from Intern to Research Assistant. I’m interested in medicine and medical science, especially all things brain-related. I am in the lab part-time and am also doing post-bacc classes at PSU for pre-med, as well as volunteering at Adventist Health Portland, learning about patient care. In my free time, I like to hike, explore new coffee shops in the city, and hang out with my cat, Smudge.