Andrew Eagle, PhD
Andrew is a behavioral neuroscientist and electrophysiologist by training. He got into the field because of the myths and roadblocks to treating addiction and other neuropsychiatric diseases. He has close friends and family who’ve suffered from addiction, depression, and PTSD. He is interested in understanding the basic neurobiology underlying motivation and memory, but also understands the pressing need for targeted treatments for drug addiction and other neuropsychiatric diseases. In his free time he enjoys camping, hiking, and cracking obscure movie references.
Graduate Students
Leila Mousavi, MS
Leila Mousavi is a PhD student in the systems and cellular neuroscience track at The University of Texas at Dallas, where she joined Dr. Eagle’s lab in June 2024. She earned her master’s degree in biobehavioral health from Pennsylvania State University in May 2024. Leila is deeply interested in understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction and stress-related disorders. She will soon be delving into a fascinating study focused on the role of lateral entorhinal cortex projections to nucleus accumbens in motivated behavior. This study will explore how specific neural connections from the lateral entorhinal cortex to the nucleus accumbens play a pivotal role in forming memories that drive drug-seeking behaviors.
Mariam AlAdsani, BA
Mariam is a master’s student in the applied cognition and neuroscience program who graduated from Boston University with a BA in psychology. During her undergraduate degree, she worked in a lab investigating the relationship between memory consolidation and sleep in patients with schizophrenia using MRI, MEG, and EEG. Currently, she studies the role of lateral entorhinal cortex and nucleus accumbens in memory encoding during drug-seeking behavior. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. She was born and raised in Kuwait.
Research Technician
Hebatallah Jassim, BS
Heba graduated from UT Dallas with a dual major in psychology and speech language and hearing sciences. Initially interested in speech pathology, her background led her to gravitate towards neuroscience research. She is now a research technician after joining in 2024 and aims to pursue a PhD in clinical neuropsychology. Her current project includes performing jugular catheterization surgery for cocaine self-administration studies. When she’s not in the lab she enjoys drawing and watching video essays.
Undergraduate Students
Brianna Zavala
Brianna is an undergraduate pursuing a degree in neuroscience and hoping to go to med school after completing her bachelor’s degree. She plans on becoming a neurologist with a specialty in memory so she can aid those who struggle with neurodegenerative disorders, specifically Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. When she’s not studying or in the lab, she enjoys crocheting, playing the guitar, and spending time with her cat in her free time.
Lia George
Lia George is an undergraduate researcher with the Eagle Lab at UTD, studying psychology and neuroscience. She also volunteers at a local psychiatric clinic that administers ketamine for treatment resistant depression and aims to pursue a PsyD or PhD for clinical psychology. Lia is passionate about understanding brain-behavior relationships and improving mental health treatments.
Richa Mirkhelker
Richa Mirkhelker is a freshman neuroscience major at UTD. She joined the Eagle lab in May 2024 through the Clark program and is currently working on a project investigating the effects of food-associated cues on neurons in the lateral entorhinal cortex. In the future she hopes to learn more about the science behind strokes and epilepsy and attend medical school. In her free time, she enjoys playing golf, walking her dog, and listening to music.