Lab Team

We are passionately committed to providing an inclusive and supportive environment for trainees from all backgrounds. We strive to provide our lab members with the mentoring, resources, and opportunities necessary to develop as researchers and advance their careers – as scientists, physicians, or otherwise.

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Morgan James Ph.D.

Assistant Professor | Department of Psychiatry

Morgan received his PhD in 2014 in the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Dayas at the University of Newcastle in Australia, where he studied the neural circuits that underlie drug-seeking behaviors. He then completed postdoctoral training under the mentorship of Dr. Gary Aston-Jones, where he combined several advanced neuroscience techniques with sophisticated animal models of addiction to further probe the neural circuits that drive reward-seeking behavior. His current lab utilizes a cross-disciplinary approach to understanding the brain circuits involved in disorders of motivation (including addiction and binge eating disorder) with the goal of guiding and informing translational outcomes. Outside of the lab, Morgan is a keen home brewer and enjoys surfing at the Jersey shore.

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Current Lab Members

Utsav Gyawali, Ph.D.

Postdoc

I received my undergraduate degree at St. Mary's College of Maryland with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Neurosciences. At St. Mary's, I worked in the lab of Dr. Anne Marie Brady exploring compulsive cocaine seeking in an animal model of schizophrenia which solidified my interests in investigating neural underpinnings of maladaptive behaviors. This interest led me to join the lab of Dr. Brian Mathur at University of Maryland, Baltimore as a lab manager/research technician. At the Mathur lab, I explored thalamus intralaminar nuclei control of striatal dopamine release in reward related behaviors before joining the Calu lab at UMB as a graduate student. In the Calu lab, I probed the role of neurotransmitters classically associated with stress and reward in maintaining cue-motivated drug-seeking behaviors. In the James lab, I am continuing to explore the role of neuromodulators in drug motivated behaviors, with a focus on orexin. My interests outside of the lab include cooking, hiking, playing string instruments, and exploring new cities with friends.

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Joel S. Raymond, Ph.D.

Postdoc

Joel completed his undergraduate degree [BSc (Advanced)] at The University of Sydney in Australia majoring in Psychology and Physiology. He then completed his Honours degree in Psychology in the laboratory of Dr Michael Bowen researching the psychopharmacological effects of alcohol on social fear behaviour in a preclinical model of social anxiety. Subsequently, Joel continued his research in The Bowen Laboratory at USYD and completed his PhD research investigating reciprocal interactions between oxytocin, sleep, and social behaviour, and how these interactions hold implications for mental health. In the James Lab, Joel is investigating the reciprocal interplay between sleep and compulsive eating behaviours, and how orexin neurobiology may contribute to dysfunction in these processes. Beyond the lab, Joel enjoys baking and cooking, playing the piano, adventuring to new places, and watching a musical.

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Shayna O'Connor

Graduate student (Psychology)

Shayna graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in Psychology. While there, she worked with Dr. Gary Aston-Jones studying the role of orexin in animal models of addiction. She is now pursuing a PhD in the Rutgers Psychology program, with joint supervision between Dr. James and Dr. David Barker. In her free time, Shayna enjoys snowboarding and going to concerts.

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Michelle Bilotti

Graduate Student (Toxicology)

Michelle is a PhD student in the Joint Graduate Program in Toxicology. She received her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry with a concentration in Toxicology from Rutgers in 2020. Michelle is interested in microglia research, and previously studied microglia-neuronal interaction following natal pesticide exposure in a zebrafish model in Dr. Cooper and Dr. White’s lab at Rutgers under Dr. Victoria DiBona. She continued her microglia studies in her first graduate lab rotation with Dr. Dipak Sarkar, investigating the effects of natal ethanol exposure on microglia in connection to B-endorphin neuronal cell death. In the James Lab Michelle plans to investigate the role that microglia may play in the regulation of the orexin system. Outside of lab, Michelle enjoys live music, the beach, and going to brunch with her friends.

Abanoub Armanious

Masters Student (Pharmacoepidemiology)

Abanoub is an M.Sc. student in epidemiology with a concentration in pharmacoepidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health. He earned his B.Sc. from Rutgers in Public Health and Cell Biology & Neuroscience, with a minor in Religion after completing a George H. Cook Scholars Program honors thesis on the ability of JA212—our lab’s lead compound—to treat binge eating disorder. As a first-generation student and American from a low-income Egyptian background, he received research funding from the LSAMP program throughout his undergraduate career and continued to benefit from their support during his post-baccalaureate year within the James Lab dedicated to exploring novel therapeutics for excessive food and drug seeking. Abanoub also serves on the DEI Advisory Committee for the Academy for Eating Disorders and as an Assistant Residence Life Coordinator for the university. In his free time, he enjoys trying new foods, lifting weights, and volunteering his time for the Gay Men's Health Crisis and his nonprofit, Save the Children of the Developing World.

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