Monica is a first-year Neuroscience PhD student at the University of Washington. Before grad school, she earned her BA in Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Rutgers University, where she studied spinal cord injury predictive modeling and potential therapeutics. Now, she is interested in studying the biological basis of neuropsychiatric disorders and how the gut microbiome may impact anxiety-like behaviors. She is an active proponent of science outreach/communication and mental health education. Outside the lab, Monica is a figure skating coach, a stress baker, and an amateur hiker.