Dr. Jari Willing received his PhD from the University at Albany and is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Juraska lab. His research projects involve the role of steroid hormones during the pubertal period on development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and cognition, the role of adolescent stress on the structure and function of the PFC, and the effects of endocrine disruptors on apoptosis in the developing PFC and PFC-mediated behaviors in adulthood. jwillin@illinois.edu
Graduate Students
Leslie Wise is currently researching the long-term social and cognitive effects of perinatal exposure to Bisphenol A and high-fat diet. She also studies the long-term neuroanatomical impact of perinatal exposure to Bisphenol A and high-fat diet on the medial prefrontal cortex. lwise2@illinois.edu Daniel Kougias is a graduate student in the neuroscience program with a background in molecular biology and nutritional science. His integrative background led to his first project studying a bioactive nutrient in a rat model of normal healthy aging and its potential in ameliorating the age-related neural retraction and associated cognitive deficits. Currently, he is leading a project that examines the long-term behavioral and neuroanatomical effects of perinatal exposure to phthalates and its interaction with a high fat diet. kougias2@illinois.eduCarly Drzewiecki is a graduate student in the neuroscience program and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin. She currently studies the effects of stress and endocrine disruptors on adolescent prefrontal cortex development and how they may lead to phenotypes of mental illness. drzewie2@illinois.edu Elli Sellinger is a Neuroscience graduate student who received her BS in Neuroscience from Brown University. Her project in the Juraska lab explores the long-term effect of perinatal phthalate exposure along with high-fat diet on the neuroanatomy of prefrontal cortex. ellenps2@illinois.edu
