Our Team

Christopher Cowan, Ph.D.

Professor, Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry
William E. Murray SmartState Endowed Chair of Excellence in Neuroscience
Chair, Department of Neuroscience
68 President Street, BEB 210
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-2935

Biography: Dr. Cowan is Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience and the William E. Murray SmartState Endowed Chair in Neuroscience at the Medical University of South Carolina. Before moving his lab to MUSC in 2016, Dr. Cowan was an Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital where he served as the Director of the Integrative Neurobiology Laboratory from 2012-2016, and he was an Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School from 2005-2012. Dr. Cowan earned his bachelor of arts degree from Wesleyan University (CT) and his Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine (TX). He completed his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital in the area of molecular neurobiology.

Rachel Penrod-Martin, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 416C
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-8262

Degree(s): B.S./B.A. in Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2005, Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2012.

Biography: Rachel is interested in studying mechanisms of sex differences in experience-dependent plasticity in neurons. Her doctoral work focused on the development and characterization of a culture system designed to support the development of in vivo-like medium spiny neurons. This system can be used to investigate the molecular mechanisms of MSN development and plasticity. As a postdoctoral fellow at MUSC, Rachel’s F32-funded project studied epigenetic mechanisms in drug addiction using a combination of molecular, cell biological, and behavioral approaches. More recently, she has developed an independent research program focused on the molecular mechanisms for sex differences in Nucleus Accumbens function and related behavior.

Ethan Anderson, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
68 President Street, BEB 231
Charleston, SC 29425

Degree(s): B.S. in Psychology, University of Florida, 2008; Ph.D. in Neuroscience, University of Florida, 2012

Biography: Ethan studies the maladaptive plastic effects of drugs of abuse. As a graduate student, he studied morphine dependence and associated changes in NMDA receptors (GluNs), and as a postdoc, he examined the role of BDNF-TrkB-PLC signaling in cocaine self-administration behaviors. He is currently studying the cell-specific effects of HDAC5 in cocaine and heroin addiction here in the Cowan Lab

Sarah Barry, Ph.D.

Post Doctoral Scholar
68 President Street, BEB 231
Charleston, SC 29425

Degree(s): B.S. in Neuroscience, Furman University; Ph.D. in Biomedical Science, Medical University of South Carolina

Biography: Sarah is interested in understanding drug-mediated neuroadaptations in addiction circuitry with a focus on prefrontal cortical subdivisions and associated afferents and efferents. For her doctoral dissertation work, she studied the role of molecular and synaptic mechanisms behind the efficacy of a BDNF infusion to attenuate cocaine-seeking behavior. Her work primarily focused on local phospho-protein signaling in addition to circuit level manipulations using chemogenetic approaches. As a post-doc with Dr. Cowan, she is investigating the role that HDAC5 plays in the prefrontal cortex in a regional and cell-specific manner in preclinical drug abuse models.

Jessica Huebschman, Ph.D.

Post Doctoral Scholar
68 President Street, BEB 231
Charleston, SC 29425

Degree(s): B.S. in Neuroscience, Baylor University; Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Texas A&M University 

Biography: Jessica is interested in the molecular mechanisms of drug-induced plasticity that underlie the development of drug-related behavior and substance use disorders (SUDs). For her doctoral work, she studied FMRP’s unique striatal function and its implications for striatal synaptic plasticity, FXS, and SUDs. Her work included investigation of potential mechanisms by which FMRP facilitates cocaine-conditioned place preference and susceptibility to cocaine self-administration. As a postdoc in the Cowan Lab, she is investigating the role of NPAS4 in regulating drug-seeking behavior.  

Evgeny Tsvetkov, Ph.D.

Staff Scientist II
173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 408D
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-9772

Degree(s): Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry

Biography: Evgeny studies cellular mechanisms of neuronal transmission at central nervous system synapses. In previous studies in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala, Evgeny described basic properties of long-term potentiation, long term depression, and established the nature of interactions between LTP and learned fear mechanisms. As an electrophysiologist in the Cowan Lab, Evgeny studies the effects of neurodevelopment genes on synaptic transmission and plasticity in multiple brain regions, including the cortex and hippocampus. He also studies the role of drug-regulated genes on synaptic plasticity in brain reward regions, including the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex.

Benjamin Zirlin, MMSc

Lab Manager
173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 405A
Charleston, SC 29425

Degree(s): BS in Biology, University of North Texas; MMSc in Anesthesiology, Emory University

Biography: Ben received his Bachelor of Science in 2007 and Master of Medical Science in 2013. Ben has worked for the Cowan Lab since 2008 and assists with multiple facets of daily lab operation.

Daniel Wood, B.S.

MSTP Student
68 President Street, BEB 232A
Charleston, SC 29425

Degree(s): B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of South Carolina

Biography: Daniel is an MD/PhD student that joined the Cowan lab in 2019. He is interested in the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms that underlie the development of drug seeking behaviors. In the Cowan lab, he studies the regulation of HDAC5 by heroin-induced redox signaling.

Jennifer (Yongjoo) Cho, B.S.

MSTP Student
68 President Street, BEB 232A
Charleston, SC 29425

Degree(s): B.S. in Biology from Temple University, 2016

Biography: Jennifer is interested in studying developmental critical periods and social behaviors in neurodevelopmental disorders. As a Ph.D. student in the Cowan Lab, Jennifer uses molecular and behavioral tools to study the function of MEF2C in an autism mouse model.

Alain Greige, B.S.

MD-PhD Student
68 President Street, BEB 232A
Charleston, SC 29425

Degree(s): B.S. in Biology from the American University of Beirut, 2019  

Biography: Alain is interested in understanding the role of neuroimmunity in neurodevelopmental disorders. During his undergraduate years, he worked on characterizing the involvement of Syndecan-1 in the pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. In the Cowan lab, Alain is investigating the role of microglial synaptic refinement in the mouse model of MEF2C Haploinsufficiency Syndrome.  

Rose Maria Akiki, B.S.

MD-PhD Student
68 President Street, BEB 232A
Charleston, SC 29425

Degree(s): B.S. in Biology from the American University of Beirut, 2018  

Biography: Rose Marie's ambitions are focused on studying the molecular neurobiology of mental illnesses notably the molecular mechanisms behind drug reward learning. During her undergraduate and her medical school years, she investigated immune disturbances underlying Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders. She later gained interest in psychiatric illnesses while working on a clinical study on Major Depressive Disorder treatments. As a Ph.D. student in the Cowan lab and Taniguchi Lab, Rose Marie is using cutting-edge molecular tools to investigate the role of long non-coding RNA in driving neuronal plasticity underlying learning of drug reward. She hopes that via her work she could contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms of emotions