The Team

Born and raised in Hòa Bình, Việt Nam, Tùng came to Wabash College, IN in 2015 and eventually earned a Bachelor’s degree in Experimental Psychology in 2018. For the following three years, he assumed employment positions in psychology and neuroscience laboratories at UPenn, Stanford, and UC Davis Med. Fall of 2022, Tùng commenced his PhD journey at the arboreous Virginia Tech. His interests include monoamine-driven reward behaviors in mice, neurodegeneration, ballroom dance, and the opera.

tungb@vt.edu

Asia is from Waldorf, Maryland and earned her B.S. degree in Psychology at St. Mary's College of Maryland in 2021. They started their PhD in the School of Neuroscience at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2021 and started their research in the Howe Lab in the Winter of 2022. Asia's focus during her PhD is on sex differences in food preference.

aadofat@vt.edu

Originally from Ashburn, Virginia, Kelly moved to Blacksburg in 2014 for her undergraduate degree. She received her B.S. in Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology. After graduating, she worked as Project Manager in a Developmental Psychology lab before starting her PhD in the Howe Lab in the fall of 2021. Kelly's work seeks to understand the biology behind important executive functions like attention and impulsivity. 

ker96@vt.edu

Kyra is from Vienna, Virginia, and graduated from Virginia Tech with her B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience in 2024. During her senior year, she was an  undergraduate researcher in another neuroscience lab at Tech. While working in the Howe Lab, she is gaining additional research experience in preparation for graduate school applications. She is interested in the underlying neural circuitry that permits learning, and decision-making, and she hopes to continue her education in neuroscience at the doctoral level.

kyra20@vt.edu

Julianna L. Barbaro is originally from Andover, MA, and in 2024 she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Boston College, earning a Bachelor of Science by double majoring in biology and neuroscience, while completing the pre-medical track. Her passion for bridging innovative laboratory techniques with comprehensive clinical practice led her to begin her MD/ PhD at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in 2024. Julianna currently enjoys researching the neurochemistry underlying human cognition, and is eager to pursue a career in Neurosurgery as a physician-scientist.

jlbarbaro@vt.edu