Principal Investigator

Dave was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 2005 with a degree in Neuroscience & a minor in Psychology. While there he worked with both Dr. David Hampson and Dr. John F. MacDonald, in whose labs he developed a strong interest in structure-function of neurotransmitter receptors and channels as well as some experience with basic lab technique and electrophysiology. He did his graduate work with Dr. Derek Bowie in McGill’s Pharmacology Department, learning patch clamp, fast perfusion methods and kinetic modelling. During his postdoctoral training with Dr. Vasanthi Jayaraman at UTHealth in Houston Texas, he picked up expertise in fluorescence/luminescence resonance energy transfer, unnatural amino acid incorporation and membrane protein purification for structural biology. When not in the lab, Dave is an enthusiastic (though unskilled) rock climber, brunch connoisseur and Thor labs T-shirt collector.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Tyler McCullock was born in the Federated States of Micronesia (one of the few other countries using Fahrenheit). He was initially raised by a family of flying foxes (one of the largest land mammals in the Federated States of Micronesia). He later monetized his arboreal upbringing by working the trapeze for a local circus troupe. After a brief stint in the army and repeated failed applications to NASA, he began his graduate work at the University of Rochester with Dr. Kammermeier. He joined the lab in the summer of 2022, quickly earning the moniker Grouchy Tyler and is currently working on projects related to iGluRs.

Ph.D. Candidate

Alireza was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He obtained his doctor of pharmacy degree (six-year) from Azad University (Tehran) in 2021. During his training as a pharmacist, he became interested in research and did his thesis work in the field of pharmacology. He joined the department of Pharmacology and Physiology as a Ph.D. student in the Spring of 2022. After rotating in the MacLean lab in the Summer of 2022, he joined the lab in Jan 2023 to study the stoichiometry of desensitization of ASICs.

Ph.D. Candidate

Jack is originally from the southern suburbs of Buffalo, NY. He obtained his B.S. in Biomedical Sciences with minors in Biology and Music Performance from SUNY Buffalo in 2021. Before starting his PhD, Jack became a laboratory technician and volunteer researcher at SUNY Buffalo in the Estrada lab. There, he studied the structure and function of cytochromes P450 from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. He became a PhD student at the University of Rochester in 2022, later joining the MacLean lab to study the interplay of AMPA receptors and TARP auxiliary subunits. Outside of the lab, Jack has what some may describe as too many interests. He enjoys cooking, biking/hiking, playing woodwind instruments, renovating his home, photography, reading (particularly fantasy and folk lore), video games, tabletop games, creative writing, following emerging technologies, and antiquing (just to state a few).

Ph.D. Student

Morgan hails from Western North Carolina, in the small town of Morganton (unfortunately not a joke). She graduated from Appalachian State University in 2023 with a degree in Chemistry (Biochemistry) and minors in biology and mathematics. Later that year, she moved to Buffalo, NY to begin her first PhD program at SUNY Buffalo. While in their Pharmaceutical Sciences program, she briefly worked in the Lao lab studying CRISPR-Cas9 drug delivery methods. After determining she has a greater affinity for the squishier sciences, she decided to continue her PhD training in the Pharmacology and Physiology program at the U of R. She joined the MacLean lab in September 2024 to study the non-canonical signaling pathways of iGluRs. Outside of lab work, Morgan’s favorite hobbies include watching bad 90’s romcoms, sleeping, and hanging out with her geriatric cat, Midnight.  

Laboratory Manager

Lauren is originally from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, IL. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2014, majoring in Integrative Biology with a minor in Animal Sciences. Shortly after graduating, she worked with animals, before transitioning to managing professional laboratories. She moved to Rochester with her husband in August 2020 and joined the lab in 2022. When she is not overseeing the inner workings of the lab, she enjoys spending time with her family, taking up photography, and rooting for the Chicago Cubs.