Meet the Team
Katalin Gothard, M.D./Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
kgothard@arizona.eduDownload CV
After medical school and postgraduate training in neurosurgery in Romania, Kati obtained her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in the laboratory of Bruce McNaughton (University of Arizona). She continued with a postdoc at UC Davis at the National Primate Research Center in the laboratory of David Amaral. In 2002, she returned to Tucson to establish her research lab at the College of Medicine. Her lab has pioneered neurophysiological studies of the amygdala in the context of naturalistic social and affective behaviors.
Kati loves classical music, jazz, flamenco, and geology. While her love for music and dance comes from formal training in classical ballet in Romania and flamenco in San Francisco, she is only an amateur in geology. Nevertheless, she is happily hammering at rocks in the spectacular rocky landscapes of Arizona.
Alexis Coryicroft
Laboratory Coordinator
alexisann@arizona.eduAlexis graduated from the University of Arizona in 2019 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, with a focus in Language and Communication Sciences. She returned to academia and research in 2022 by joining the Gothard lab to study animal behavior and its neurophysiological correlates. She spends much of her time in the lab wrangling primates, both human and non-human alike.
With an ever-changing rainbow of hair colors, she spends her time outside of the lab watching true crime shows, playing indie video games, and giving all her spare attention to her wife and cats.
Megan Krause
Doctoral Student - Neuroscience
mkrause@arizona.eduMegan is a PhD student in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Neuroscience. She graduated in 2024 from the University of Notre Dame with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior. Megan joined the lab in March of 2025 and began evaluating the representations of social status in the brain through neurophysiology in the hippocampus and amygdala.
Outside of the lab, Megan is getting to know Tucson by hiking with friends. She enjoys doing puzzles, sitting down with a good book, and trying to convince her twin sister to move to Tucson.
Mahir Kabir
Research Assistant
mahirk@arizona.eduMahir graduated from the University of Arizona in 2025 with a B.S. In Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, B.A. in Computer Science, and Minors in Statistics & Data Science and Biochemistry. Throughout his undergrad career, Mahir was part of the Fuglevand Lab, where he worked on multiple projects focusing on how movement is planned and executed in the premotor cortex. He joined the Gothard Lab after graduating in the summer of 2025, to experience research on larger animal models. He is currently contributing to the Hierarchy project.
Mahir's goal is to apply for the U of A's MD-PhD program.
Mackenzie Lynch
Research Assistant
mhlynch@arizona.eduMackenzie graduated from the University of Arizona in Spring 2026 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science and a minor in sociology. She been part of the Gothard lab since May 2024, and is a major component on the hierarchy project. She is currently taking a gap year in the lab to increase her skills in electrophysiology and prepare manuscripts on her work so far.
In the near future, Mackenzie plans to attend graduate school and study social behavior and its neural correlates.
Mihir Shah
Undergraduate Research Assistant - NSCS
mihirshah24@arizona.eduMihir is a senior majoring in Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences with a minor in Spanish and Emergency Medical Services. He joined the Gothard Lab in Summer 2024 due to his interest in neurobiology and social development along with neurological conditions based on it. He plans on continuing his education by going to medical school.
Mihir is part of the team working on the Hierarchy project, with most of his time spent training monkey Coco.
Amelia Goodwin
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Physiology
ameliagoodwin@arizona.eduAmelia is a senior majoring in physiology and medical sciences with minors in biochemistry and Spanish. She joined the lab in September 2024, primarily working on the Hierarchy project where she creates stimuli to analyze social behavior. After graduation, she plans on attending medical school to pursue global opportunities like Doctors Without Borders.
Outside of the lab, Amelia enjoys skiing, reading, and drinking matcha.
Venkat Machavarapu
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Medicine
vmach000@arizona.eduVenkat is a junior majoring in medicine with a minor in neuroscience. He joined the Gothard lab in October 2024 due to his interest in neurobiology and surgery. He is part of the hierarchy project team. After graduation, he plans on attending medical school in hopes of being a surgeon.
AJ Tracy
Undergraduate Research Assistant - EEB
ajt311@arizona.eduAJ is a junior double majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Animal Sciences while participating in the Franke Civic Leadership Certificate. They joined the lab in January 2025, eager to learn more about animal behavior. They joined the Adolescent Project to study the development of social behavior, learning, and memory. After graduation, they hope to pursue a dual DVM/PhD combining medicine and conservation.
Outside of school, AJ enjoys reading, building Legos, running long distances, and hanging out with their cats named after Harry Potter characters and famous scientists. They are the founder of Franke Lavender Scholars, a club studying queer culture and history.
Grace Wilford
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Veterinary Science
gjwilfor@arizona.eduGrace is a junior majoring in veterinary sciences who joined the Gothard lab in Spring 2025. Her interest in research was inspired by the desire to gain hands-on animal experience and expand her knowledge of animal behavior. After graduation she plans on applying to veterinary school to become a livestock and wildlife veterinarian.
Outside of the lab, Grace enjoys traveling to hike with scenic views, camping, and gardening. She volunteers at the U of A Campus farm on the weekends!
Max Bell
Undergraduate Research Assistant - NSCS
mbell4@arizona.eduMax is a junior in the U of A Honors college, majoring in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, with minors in Biochemistry and Music. Max joined the Gothard Lab in Fall 2025 to better understand neurobiology and how our environment can impact behavior. He is currently on a pre-med path with goals of pursuing either anesthesiology or neurosurgery.
Max is an active volunteer at Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Kailey Reichardt
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Medical Sciences
kaileyreichardt@arizona.eduKailey is a junior at the University of Arizona, majoring in Basic Medical Sciences and Psychology, with a minor in Health and Human Values. She joined the Gothard Lab in 2026 with UBRP, and she hopes to contribute to research focused on social behavior and neural activity. Through her work in the lab, she aims to gain a deeper understanding of neuroscience and its applications to human health.
After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school and is interested in pursuing a career as an ophthalmologist, although she is still exploring her specific path.
Collaborators
Alumni
Post-Doctorates
Haiyin Chen
Kristof Laszlo
James Drew Solyst
Sebastien Ballesta
Anne Martin
Graduates
Kevin Spitler
Kelly Brooks
Christopher Laine
Clayton Mosher
Philip Putnam
JJ Morrow
Blake Seaton
Rose Andersen
Tess Champ
Seunghyun Lee
Archer Bowrie
Michael Cardenas
Lab Managers
Derek O'Neill
Research Technicians
Emily Franklin
Kennya Garcia
Prisca Zimmerman
Lizzie Hillier
Alyssa Camp
Undergraduates
Kaitlin Bianchi
Farid Ghamsari
Daniel Carrera
Cole Hoffer
Travis Wilder
Christine Tang
Alisa Ryan
Kevin Wood
Michelle Mangana-Mendoza
Deke Cisco
Dan Hill
Robert Gibboni
JohnMichael Jurgensen
Matt Stib
Kevan Farshad
Miranda Anderson
Jeremy Oulton
Natalie Brill
Susma Ghimire
Gabby Lacy
Lorenzo Chavez
Jorge Arturo Bradic
Angela Tulk
Haley Moore
Keturah Ragland
Savannah Threatt
Berna Dennis
Natalia Magnusson
Tanusri Ganapathy
Cam Bolles
Nick Lingenfelter
Chan Lim
Sun Woo Kim
Nathalie Sotelo
Eli Rahamim
Anna Park
Ryan Le
Gabriel Neal
Gabriella Ames
Olivia Baumann
Alijah Howard
Ava Pal
Alison Yaw
Jesse Katz
Amanda Feng
