Hi, I’m Madeline Graham. I returned to Wellesley College and joined the Tetel lab as a research associate at the beginning of 2018 after graduating in 2017. During my time as a student at Wellesley, I majored in neuroscience and minored in chemistry. I was involved in the Mission Hill After School Program and research at MIT.

I was a UROP student in the Feng laboratory at MIT and the Broad Institute where I worked under Dr. Violeta Lopez-Huerta, investigating neural circuits in Shank3B knockout (KO) mouse model of autism. This work included behavioral experiments measuring sensorimotor differences in Shank3B KO mice and corresponding differences in neural activation in the thalamic reticular nucleus, M1 and S1. I also assisted with a project aimed at characterizing the structure of the thalamic reticular nucleus, part of the thalamus that modulates communication with the cortex and is believed to be involved in autism pathology.

In the Tetel lab, I am studying the effects of estrogens and high fat diet on energy homeostasis and anxiety in mice. One of my main contributions has been establishing anxiety testing in the lab, which has been both challenging and rewarding. I look forward to learning and contributing more during my time here.

Outside of the lab, I enjoy going to art museums, baking, and riding my bike.