Elizabeth Doncheck, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Beth received her bachelor degrees from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee in 2012, and her doctoral degree at Marquette University in 2019. While living in the Milwaukee area, Beth worked in outstanding labs that focus on the neurobiology of drug addiction, including the labs of Drs. Devin Mueller, Cecilia Hillard, John Mantsch, and others. Her work focuses on the influence of circulating hormones and sex differences on addiction behavior, and in the Otis lab she hopes to extend her work to understanding how these hormones function at the level of neural circuits to influence behaviors such as drug seeking.

Outside of lab, Beth enjoys chilling with her pup Vebo, traveling, and hanging with her friends.

Jackie Paniccia, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Jackie received her bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University in 2014, and her doctoral degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021. While at UNC, Jackie worked in the laboratory of Dr. Don Lysle examining the neural immune mechanisms underlying different heroin-conditioned Pavlovian responses. While in the Otis lab, she aims to investigate how astrocyte-neuron interactions and glial cell activity modulates drug-taking and drug-seeking behaviors. 

Outside of the lab Jackie enjoys live music, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family. 

Rachel Clarke, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Growing up in Australia, Rachel completed her undergraduate studies (2012-2015) and doctoral degree (2016-2020) at Monash University close to Melbourne, Victoria. Her PhD project was supervised by Professor Zane Andrews and investigated cortical to hypothalamic circuits implicated in feeding and reward seeking behavior. In the Otis lab, Rachel aims to utilize two-photon imaging to examine neuronal activity and dendritic spine dynamics underlying drug seeking behavior. 

Outside of the lab, Rachel enjoys swimming, reading, and exploring Charleston. 

Ian Grant

PHD STUDENT

Ian grew up in Massachusetts but is in his 8th year as a South Carolina resident. He attended the College of Charleston and graduated with a B.S. in Biology with a Neuroscience minor in 2015. Following graduation, he worked in a neurovascular imaging lab at MUSC, studying the diversity of pericytes within the murine brain. He is currently a PhD student at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he plans to use multiphoton imaging to dissect the neural circuits underlying addiction.

Outside of lab, Ian enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, and going to the beach.

Amy Ward

PHD STUDENT

Amy received her bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University in 2021, majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in German. In undergrad, she worked with Dr. Fiona Watson and researched pesticide-induced neuronal degeneration in frogs. She is currently co-mentored with Dr. Jennifer Rinker and is interested in dissecting the neural circuitry underlying alcohol use disorders.

Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending time with friends, fishing, and hanging out with her pet gecko, Margot

Logan Manusky

PHD STUDENT

Logan graduated from the College of Charleston in 2017 with her B.S. in Biology and a minor in Neuroscience. She has been working at MUSC since 2019 in Howard Becker’s lab, who is the director of the Charleston Alcohol Research Center. Logan’s previous research has focused on the comorbidity between alcohol use disorder and PTSD, specifically stress-induced reinstatement and the role that exercise plays on the intersection between stress and alcohol use. She has also worked as a research technician with the Veterans Health Administration. Logan is currently a Ph.D student at the Medical University of South Carolina in the Otis lab.

Outside of lab, Logan enjoys playing volleyball, painting, cooking, and enjoying time with her family/friends!

Annaka Westphal

PHD STUDENT

Annaka is a current graduate student who is co-mentored by Drs. Michael Scofield and Jim Otis. Originally hailing from the Land of Enchantment, she completed her undergraduate work at The University of New Mexico in 2020 with a B.S. in Biology. Following graduation, she moved to Charleston where she worked as a research technician at The Medical University of South Carolina during Covid. She is interested in the neurobiology of addiction and the relationship between science and public policy from the perspective of substance use disorder treatment. 

Outside of the lab, Annaka enjoys spending time with her family, watching Formula 1, and playing games.

Mike Martino

MD/PHD STUDENT

Originally from Western New York, Mike completed his undergraduate degree at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville (SIUE) in 2016. He then completed his master’s degree in kinesiology in 2018 while conducting research investigating liver amino acid metabolism at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. Mike was accepted to the MD/PhD program at MUSC in 2020 and is currently investigating how a stressful experience increases susceptibility to future stressors. His training will prepare him for a career as a Physician-Scientist in Psychiatry.

When outside of the lab, Mike enjoys running, powerlifting, and spending time with his family and friends.

Marcus Bell

MD/PhD Student

Marcus received a BS in biochemistry with a minor in cellular and molecular neuroscience from the University of Minnesota where he researched lipids, senescence, and metabolic dysfunction. He is an MD/PhD student in the Otis lab interested in the neural underpinnings of addiction and developing accessible therapies for substance use disorder.

Lisa Green

Research Technician and Electrophysiologist

Lisa graduated from Western Carolina University in 2017 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Psychology. Following graduation, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator in Charleston for 2 years working on Phase I-III trials. Lisa is did her Master’s Thesis in the Otis Lab, graduating from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2020.

Outside of the lab, Lisa enjoys traveling, spending time with her pets, and playing boardgames with her family and friends.

Sophie Buchmaier

Research Technician and Behavior Specialist

Sophie worked in the Otis Lab as an undergraduate research assistant for a year, before transitioning to a full-time research specialist position. She graduated from College of Charleston, majoring in psychology with minors in chemistry and sociology. She plans to attend graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience. Outside of the lab, Sophie enjoys embroidery, baking, and hanging out with her cat as well as friends and family.

Joshua Boquiren

DATA ANALYST AND PROGRAMMER

Born and raised in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, Josh studied Computer Information Systems and Data Science at the College of Charleston with an interest in machine learning and computational neuroscience. He joined the lab in 2022 as an undergraduate volunteer before transitioning to a full-time position as a data analyst.

When the time allows, Josh enjoys travelling, trying new foods, and keeping an active lifestyle with weight training and hiking.