Paul J. Meyer, Ph.D. // Associate Professor
Paul is from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and received his B.S. in Psychology as a Natural Science from the University of Michigan. After working with Drs. Harriet de Wit and Andrea King at the University of Chicago, he received his Ph.D. in Behavioral Neuroscience under the mentorship of Dr. Tamara J. Phillips at Oregon Health & Science University. He had two post-doctoral fellowships, with Drs. Michael Morgan and Susie Ingram at Washington State University, and with Drs. Wayne Aldridge and Terry Robinson at the University of Michigan. He has been an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo since 2012. While he is well-known for his waterskiing abilities, lately he enjoys spending his free time with his family.
Nana Amissah // Graduate Student
Nana has a Masters in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of Cape Coast and has been in the Meyer Lab since 2022. He is focused on understanding how substance use is influenced by learning and memory consolidation processes, and how this is mediated by neurogenetic systems. One of his current research projects is to determine the role of understudied genes such as teneurin-4 in addiction related traits. He was born on a Wednesday, enjoys sports and reading, but doesn’t like fufu even though he’s from Ghana.
Karissa Reyes // Graduate Student
Karissa has a B.A. in Psychology from Cal State San Marcos, where she conducted human studies in neuropsychology, cognitive aging, and social behavior. Since transitioning to animal research in the Meyer Lab, she has become interested in the neurobiological mechanisms that support behavior change, and how alternative reinforcers, such as social interaction, can be leveraged in treatments for addiction. Her current work studies how psychedelics like psilocybin influence substance use behavior, particularly in the context of punishment and motivation. She prefers coffee over tea, channels the Gen X spirit, and brings a wry sense of humor to lab conversations.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
E. Wisdom Akinyele // Undergraduate Student
Class of 2027
Eunice Olusanya // Undergraduate Student
Class of 2026
Michael Murawski // Undergraduate Student
Samantha Treadway // Undergraduate Student
Grace LeVea // Undergraduate Student
Former Lab Members
Postdoctoral Researchers: Greg Loney, Ph.D., Chris King, Ph.D.
Ph.D. Students: Chris King, Elizabeth Rakowski
Master’s Students: Christina Meyers (Psychology), Djaliatou Barry (Biological Sciences), Jordan Tripi (Psychology), Hailley Pearson (Psychology), Kyle Pasquariello (Psychology), Srinidhi Krishnan (Biological Sciences), Nathaniel Walker (Biological Sciences), Prachetas Jai Patel (Neuroscience), Olivia White (Psychology), Adam Rutz (Biological Sciences).
Research Technicians: Brady Thompson; Luke Hannan; Amelia Riccio; Kyra Katz; Alex Lamparelli; Nathaniel Roberson; Cassi Whalen (née Versaggi)
Undergraduate Students: Jessica Perez, Wisdom Akinyele, Matthew Preisigke, Samantha Treadway, Djaliatou Barry, Pooja Nattu, Connor Carrow, Dylan Schaefer, Nicholas Kagelmacher, Anjali Thannkikal, Kyra Katz, Sara Mainville, James Catlin, Laketta Jackson, Erim Buyuk, Michael Murowski, Kenzy Zikry, Caylee Zuchowski, Luke Hannan, Leah Heiler, Gabriel Santos, Esther Holmes, Alex Capus, Paige Barnett, Amanda Teepell, Nathaniel Roberson, Adam Rutz, Michael Demyan, Deonna Coleman, Mustafa Hussain, Curtis Woodward, Amani Abuhamra, James Adegbite, David Donnelly, Craig Ashcroft, Saniya Attar, Jeremy Morowitz, Natasha Singh, Sabrina Swenson, Melanie Glover, Alexander Bartnik, Cagla Unal, Marina Han, Nick Nguyen, Anne Taylor, Rachelle Fabrizio, Garrett Sheehan, Delna Kapadia, Amanda Nilsen, Lila Cardozo, Liam Cleary, Elizabeth Severa, John Pryzbyz, Hersh Singh
High School Students: Colton Sleister, Talia Kasman, William Joyce
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Meyer Lab 