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Now recruiting prospective PhD students for Fall 2027!
Siara K. Rouzer, Ph.D.
Siara K. Rouzer, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University
Dr. Rouzer earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Binghamton University in 2021. For more than a decade, her research has examined how prenatal and preconception parental substance exposures shape brain development, synaptic function, and behavioral health across the lifespan. Beginning in January 2027, she will lead the Rouzer IDEAL Lab at Texas A&M University, where her team will integrate controlled preclinical models with behavioral testing, molecular and transcriptomic analyses, electrophysiology, and analyses of existing human datasets. Outside the lab, Dr. Rouzer enjoys hiking, watching football, reading mysteries, and spending time with her partner and their pets.
Ahmed Saleh
Ahmed Saleh
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Ahmed Saleh is a senior at Texas A&M University majoring in Biomedical Sciences. He plans to pursue a career in medicine that combines patient care with research and community service. His research interests center on how parental alcohol exposure affects offspring behavior and health. In the lab, he primarily conducts operant-chamber testing and is expanding his experience in protein analysis through his undergraduate thesis. Outside the lab, Ahmed enjoys weightlifting, playing soccer and intramural sports, and volunteering in his community.
MENTORSHIP AND LAB CULTURE
The Rouzer IDEAL Lab is growing into a place where rigorous science, individualized mentorship, accessible training, and shared success support one another. Mentoring is tailored to each lab member’s experience, goals, and career stage, with increasing opportunities to build independence, scientific judgment, and confidence. Lab members should leave better prepared to think critically, evaluate evidence, communicate science responsibly, and apply their training to the scientific and professional paths they choose.
Our lab culture is grounded in scientific integrity, respect and belonging, collaboration, open communication, curiosity, and responsibility to the individuals, families, and communities connected to our work. We prioritize quality and reproducibility over speed. Honest mistakes are treated as opportunities to correct, learn, and improve. Lab members are expected to share knowledge and credit fairly and are encouraged to ask questions, disagree respectfully, and provide two-way feedback.
Because our research concerns real people and families, we communicate findings accurately and accessibly while avoiding stigma, blame, and overstatement. We acknowledge the limits of translating preclinical findings to human experiences and aim to expand opportunities for lived experience, clinical expertise, and community perspectives to inform our work.
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