Lab Members
Devin K. Binder, M.D., Ph.D.
Originally from the Bay Area, Devin K. Binder went to Harvard University as an undergraduate, where he studied biology, anthropology, and neuroscience. He was awarded the Hoopes Prize at Harvard for his summa cum laude senior honors thesis “Serotonin and behavioral state.” Deciding to pursue both neuroscience and clinical medicine, he enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D. program at Duke University. At Duke, he graduated 1st in his medical school class, and contributed to epilepsy neuroscience with his Ph.D. dissertation “The functional role of neurotrophins in the kindling model of epilepsy.” Subsequently, Dr. Binder completed a one-year internship in general surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and a six-year residency in neurological surgery at UCSF. At UCSF, he did a one-year fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Alan Verkman, leader in the field of aquaporin biology. Following residency, Dr. Binder was awarded the Van Wagenen neurosurgical fellowship for one year of neuroscience and neurosurgery at the University of Bonn. There, he did another fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Christian Steinhäuser, Director of the Institute for Cellular Neuroscience at the University of Bonn. Following a three-year stint at the University of California, Irvine, in the Departments of Neurological Surgery and Anatomy & Neurobiology, Dr. Binder joined the Division of Biomedical Sciences at the University of California, Riverside in January 2010. Dr. Binder is a dedicated teacher, having won awards for teaching at Harvard, Duke, UCSF, and UCI. He welcomes all those interested to apply to the laboratory for more information.
Carrie R. Jonak, B.S.
Carrie Jonak received her B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 2011. She began her career at the University of California, Riverside in 2013 and her research focused on reproductive neuroendocrinology in Dr. Djurdjica Coss’ lab. She joined the Binder lab in 2016, bringing her expertise to her positions as both lab manager and research associate. In addition to providing laboratory managerial support, she is using multielectrode array electroencephalography (MEA-EEG) to identify novel electrophysiological biomarkers in mouse models of traumatic brain injury (TBI), posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE), multiple sclerosis (MS), and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Her research also involves utilizing MEA-EEG to evaluate potential pharmacological compounds to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying auditory hypersensitivity in a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS).
Manolia Ghouli, B.S.
Manolia Ghouli graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2017 with a B.S. in Biochemistry with an emphasis in Medical Science. She is a Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. graduate student at the University of California, Riverside. Her research focuses on volume-regulated anion channels (VRAC) and astrocyte-specific volume effects on neuronal excitability. She is also investigating modulation of volume-regulated anion channels and water homeostasis as a potential therapeutic strategy for epilepsy.
Samantha Assad, B.S.
Samantha Assad received her B.S. degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside in 2022. She joined the Binder lab in 2019 as an undergraduate researcher and was hired as a Lab Assistant in 2022. She is a Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. graduate student at the University of California, Riverside.
Leo Chan
Leo Chan received his B.S. degree in Biochemistry from the University of California, Riverside in 2024. He joined the Binder lab in June 2022 as an undergraduate researcher and was hired as a Lab Assistant in Fall 2024. His research focuses on using MEA-EEG to test the efficacy of potential new drugs for the treatment of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS).
Navroop Sandhu
Navroop Sandhu is an undergraduate researcher at the University of California, Riverside majoring in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology. She joined the Binder lab in January 2023 and is currently assisting in testing the efficacy of potential new drugs for the treatment of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS).
Binder Lab Alumni
| Shreya Kakade | Terese Garcia | Allison Peterson | Patricia Pirbhoy | Manbir Sandhu | Jacqueline Barbosa | Jenny Szu | Jonathan Lovelace |
| Thomas Murphy | Dillon Patel | Som Chaturvedi | Jackie Hubbard |
| Andrew Nakla | Alexander Lin | Amandip Gill | Christopher Owen |
| Mariam Amini | Andy Treister | Anish Nanduri | Gi Eun Yang |
| Darrin Lee |
Huzaifa Hakimuddin | James Yeh | Kiran Rajneesh |
| Marcus Seldin | Atsushi Kimura | Devin McBride |