current members

Adema Ribic, PhD

Principal Investigator

Born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Adema spent half of her childhood in safety shelters, and as a refugee of war in different places (and continents!). She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Sarajevo, and specialized in Forensic Genetics at INGEB Sarajevo hoping to land a job with the International Committee on Missing Persons. Having no luck with that, she joined Max Planck Graduate Program in Molecular Biology in Germany instead, and later moved to USA for postdoc. At UVA, she initiated Hidden Figures: Neuroscience through Diversity and conjugate.blog (together with her husband, illustrator Eli Minaya) to help reduce the gender gap in Wikipedia. When she is not running (around) the lab, she can be found wrangling her 3 kids and pets (2 cats, 2 dogs, and a bunch of chickens).

Classes taught:

• PSYC 3260/Hidden Figures: Neuroscience through Diversity

• PSYC 4200/Neural Mechanisms of Behavior

• EGMT 1520/HIS-stery of Science

  Twitter Google Scholar ResearchGate OrcID CV

Mona Fariborzi

Graduate Student

Mona is a Ph.D. student in the Interdisciplinary Quantitative Neurobiology of Behavior Program run jointly by the Departments of Psychology and Biology. During her undergrad at UCI, she studied the long-term effects of adolescent stress on the brain and behavior. In the Ribic Lab, she is interested in investigating visual processing and how different types of experience alter it. She can be found near the 2-photon imaging rig hunting for spines and being happy about finding them (repeatedly!). When she is not in the lab, she loves to cook and bake, and tends to her ever-growing indoor plant collection.

Education

University of Virginia
Ph.D. in Psychology, Quantitative Neurobiology of Behavior IDF, 2021-present; UVA Presidential Fellow ‘23/24

University of California Irvine
B.Sc. in Biological Sciences, 2021

ceh8yt@virginia.edu

Emily McCoy

Graduate Student

Emily is a Ph.D. student in the Interdisciplinary Reintegrating the Phenotype Program run jointly by the Departments of Psychology and Biology. During her undergrad at St. Olaf, she studied properties of the vertebrate visual system including cone photoreceptor mosaics and retinal magnetoreception. She can be found near the ephys rig hunting for spikes, especially via optogenetics. Outside of the lab, she likes to work on her artistic hobbies like oil painting while listening to her favorite podcasts.

Education

University of Virginia
Ph.D. in Psychology, Reintegrating the Phenotype IDF, 2022-present

St. Olaf College
B.A. in Psychology, 2022

yhq5hd@virginia.edu

Rachel Woods

Undergraduate Researcher

Rachel is a first-year student at UVA, majoring in Biology. She is interested in neuropathology and neurocognitive disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. In the Ribic Lab, she assists graduate student Emily McCoy in studying the behavior of preterm mice. Outside of the lab, Rachel is a dedicated violinist in the Cavalier Symphony Orchestra. She is also an active member of UVA’s chapter of the Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program, where she volunteers at chronic kidney disease health screenings in medically-underserved communities. In her free time, Rachel enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing pickleball, and listening to music.

Education

University of Virginia
Expected: 2027

azr3fz@virginia.edu

Charlie van den Oord

Undergraduate Researcher

Charlie is a third-year student at UVA majoring in Biology and minoring in both Spanish and Statistics. She is interested in brain plasticity, sensory systems, and the effects of stress on behavior. Outside of the lab, she enjoys singing with her friends, losing to her roommates in Mario Kart, and lifting very small weights.

Education

University of Virginia
B.A. in Biology, 2025

pqu9zh@virginia.edu

Erica Lee

Undergraduate Researcher

Erica is a Neuroscience major whose research interests include visual learning, brain plasticity, stress related disorders, and a variety of ocular disorders as well. In the lab she works with Robert and aims to understand if increased plasticity protects the brain from stress. Outside the lab, she can be found sparring in Kendo club, watching K-dramas, and cooking new recipes.

Education

University of Virginia
Expected: 2026

qmc7vc@virginia.edu

Zuko and Uma

Professional writing support

Zuko is an energetic Belgian Shepherd, keen to always bring out the best in Uma, the Great Dane. Both provide support during writing periods, usually in form of necessary distractions.