Lab Members

Chia’s passion for neuroscience began with her undergraduate research experience in the behavioral neuropharmacology lab with Dr. Rick Bevins at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, Biology, and Psychology. During this time, her work focused on learning theories behind motivational behaviors in drugs of abuse such as Nicotine and Cocaine. Chia continued to explore her interest in neuropharmacology and obtained her doctorate from the Neurobiology Curriculum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Under the guidance of Dr. Thomas Kash, she probed neural networks and nuclei surrounding the extended amygdala in the midbrain using ex vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, chemogenetics and behavioral assays. Her work focused on the effects of stress, alcohol and opioids on neural signaling and their mechanisms. Before becoming a staff Scientist at Department of Endocrinology, Obesity Branch at NIDDK, Dr. Li’s postdoctoral work under the guidance of Dr. Michael Krashes investigated hypothalamic networks and their functional roles involving feeding, showing one of the first evidences of cell-type specific connectivity between the Arcuate Nucleus and the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus. As a staff scientist, Dr. Li continues to explore hypothalamic networks and their involvement in motivational and orthogonal behaviors associated with feeding, incorporating neural imaging techniques such as photometry. Outside of research, Chia enjoys hiking with her dog and family, eating and cooking, making soap and upcycling materials for craft, and any excuse to use power tools.

Dr. Claire Gao is a neuroscientist investigating how the brain responds to pharmacological treatments for neurological and metabolic disease. She received her undergraduate degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, where her clinical research on Niemann-Pick disease type C sparked her interest in the neural mechanisms of therapeutics. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience through the Brown University–NIH Graduate Partnership Program under the mentorship of Dr. Mario Penzo, studying the molecular, anatomical, and functional organization of the midline thalamus. In 2023, she joined Dr. Michael Krashes’ laboratory at NIDDK as a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Gao was awarded the NIGMS PRAT (Fi2) fellowship in 2024. Her current research investigates how anti-obesity medications such as semaglutide engage intracellular signaling pathways and neural circuits to suppress appetite and drive weight loss.

Throughout Qi’s scientific education, she has expressed an interest in the study of animal behaviors and metabolism. As an undergraduate student, she was involved in several studies of pulmonary fibrosis and lung metastasis of breast cancer with Dr. Wen Ning at Nankai University, where she received her bachelor in Biological Science. After joining Ali Güler’s lab at University of Virginia, she explored her interest in neuroscience by investigating the role of dopaminergic system in circadian and metabolic activities and obtained her doctorate. Her specific interest lies in the role of hypothalamic dopamine pathways in the regulation of feeding behaviors and metabolic processes using chemogenetics, optogenetics, and behavioral assays. She participated in identifying a novel connection between the dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area and the central circadian pacemaker located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and the subsequent examination of the necessity of dopamine signaling in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in high-fat diet induced obesity. Meanwhile, she identified a role for the dopamine input to the arcuate nucleus that encodes acute responses to food. As a postdoc fellow under the guidance of Dr. Michael Krashes at NIDDK, she continues to explore the involvement of distinct dopaminergic neuronal groups in feeding behaviors during varied energy states. Outside the research, Qi is a big fan of detective novels and horror movies, with the perfect companion of an adorable, fluffy, and intelligent guinea pig, whose feeding behaviors are keenly observed.

Shakira received her bachelor’s in biology from the University of Puerto Rico and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. through the JHU-NIH Graduate Partnership Program. She is interested in understanding how exposure to energy dense diet affects motivated behaviors and the neural circuits underlying those. Outside of research, she enjoys learning how to cook new things and obstacle course racing.

Addison Webster is a neuroscientist focused on understanding how the brain regulates appetite and feeding behavior. Her research career began as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech, where she earned a B.S. in Experimental Neuroscience. Working in the laboratory of Dr. Mark Cline, she studied how neuropeptides influence feeding behavior in Japanese quail. Addison then received her Ph.D. at the University of Virginia under the mentorship of Dr. John Campbell, where her research combined monosynaptic rabies tracing with single-nucleus RNA sequencing to map the neural circuits involved in hunger and satiety. Now at the NIH, Addison is focused on developing new experimental models to better understand the brain regions and cell types activated by the newest generation of weight-loss medications. Outside of the lab, she enjoys traveling to new places, reading, and exploring local coffee shops.

Suyeun earned her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Pennsylvania State University in 2026 under the mentorship of Dr. Karolina Skibicka. Her doctoral research focused on identifying novel brain regions through which the pancreatic hormone amylin regulates homeostatic and motivated feeding behaviors, as well as how this peptide influences affective behaviors such as anxiety and depression in rat models. She also investigated how long-term treatment with the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide alters metabolic and physiological processes in a sex-specific manner. In July 2026, she joined Dr. Michael Krashes’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow. Building on her interest in peptide-based anti-obesity therapeutics, her current research aims to delineate the neural mechanisms underlying GIP receptor agonism and antagonism in the regulation of appetite and aversive responses, particularly in combination with semaglutide. Her work seeks to understand how these pathways can be leveraged to develop more effective obesity therapeutics.

Ella received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2026, where she was an HHMI and U-RISE scholar. At UMBC, she conducted research under Dr. Tara LeGates, focusing on the latent sex differences behind neuroplasticity mechanisms in the nucleus accumbens and hippocampus. In the summer of 2024, Ella participated in the SHURP summer internship program at Harvard Medical School, during which she worked in the lab of Dr. Stephen Liberles to characterize a novel pain neuron subpopulation in dorsal root ganglion. This work sparked her interested in the body-brain interaction, which led to her joining the Krashes Lab for her post-bac in the summer of 2026. Following her post-bac, Ella plans to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. in neuroscience.

As a Biologist, Hui has been supporting biomedical research for nearly 30 years, with a focus on understanding how Gsα signaling regulates energy and glucose homeostasis. Over the course of the career, she has developed extensive expertise in transgenic mouse models, metabolic physiology, molecular biology, cell culture, and in vivo studies. Her work includes maintaining and characterizing genetically modified mouse colonies, conducting metabolic and animal studies, and performing molecular and cellular analyses. She also supports mouse model development, protocol optimization, and training junior lab members, while helping with the day-to-day operations that keep the lab running smoothly.

When she’s not working, Hui enjoys traveling with the family, exploring good food, and going for runs. She is also a dog lover and never passes up an opportunity to spend time with them.

Dr. Podyma earned his M.D./Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and is a clinical endocrinology fellow at the NIH. His research has focused on neural regulation of energy balance and obesity, including circadian control of appetite and the study of rare genetic disorders of G protein, leptin-melanocortin, and neurotrophin signaling. His current work examines the mechanisms of weight loss, maintenance, and regain with highly effective anti-obesity medications and how these therapies can illuminate the physiology of weight homeostasis.