We are

Dr. Meike van der Heijden (she/her)

MI-kuh vahn derr HIGH-dun

Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute
School of Neuroscience

mheijden [at] vtc [dot] vt [dot] edu

Dr. Meike van der Heijden was born and raised in the Netherlands and obtained her BS in Psychobiology at the University of Amsterdam. What should have been a five-month thesis project at Baylor College of Medicine, became a twelve year science journey in Houston, Texas. In these years, she worked as a technician with Dr. Benjamin Frankfort, obtained her PhD in Neuroscience at BCM with Dr. Huda Zoghbi, and completed her postdoc with Dr. Roy Sillitoe.

Meike believes that the joy for learning and discovery are central in the lab. She continues to be inspired by the cerebellum’s ability to learn and to help us balance our bodies, and the many neural functions we perform on a daily basis.

Alyssa Lyon (she/her)

ah-LIS-ah LY-on

Graduate Student

alyon9 [at] vt [dot] edu

Alyssa Lyon is a graduate student in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health (TBMH) program. She is from Orange County, VA, and obtained her B.S. in Neuroscience from George Mason University. At Mason, she completed research focusing on neurodevelopment in zebrafish embryos and sleep genetics in fruit flies.

Olivia Brichter (she/her)

oh-LIV-ee-uh BRIK-ter

Research Assistant

oabrichter [at] vt [dot] edu

Olivia Brichter was born and raised in Chesapeake, VA. After 10 years of self-discovery at Tidewater Community College, in 2020, she obtained an associate’s degree. While at Tidewater, she worked under the mentorship of Manisha Trivedi as a T.A. for Anatomy and Physiology labs; from Trivedi’s teachings, she discovered the world of neuroscience and research. She won various student engagement awards and was exclusively named The 2020 USA All-Academic Scholar for the State of Virginia; based on her outstanding scores, she was named a New Century Transfer Scholar for the Honors Society of Phi Theta Kappa. She transferred to Roanoke College and obtained her B.S. in Psychology with concentrations in Human Development and Disability Studies in 2023. While at Roanoke, Olivia worked as a Research Fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Chris Lassiter. She designed an independent project using a multi-method approach examining The Neuroprotective Effects of Estrogen on Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Seizures in Zebrafish.

Throughout her 14 years in higher education, Olivia strongly advocated for people with disabilities. She believes that they can achieve great success with the proper support and opportunities, particularly in STEM fields. Olivia greatly credits Trivedi and Lassiter for her academic achievements. She aspires to one day attend graduate school to get her master’s or PhD in neuroscience.

Breanne Dao (she/her)

BREE-ann DOU

Research Assistant

sharpbl [at] vt [dot] edu

Breanne Dao has lived in Roanoke, VA, for most of her life. She is set to graduate from Hollins University in May 2024 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and a minor in Environmental Studies. During her time at Hollins, Breanne has received multiple awards, including the Hollins Recognition Award and the Erica Feiste Student Research Award. Her prior research has focused on various topics, such as hummingbird activity in Ecuador, the effects of anthropogenic noise, and Chelonia mydas preferential foraging locations. This research was completed with Dr. Renee Godard with additional guidance and mentorship from the Biology faculty. While attending Hollins, Breanne worked for the university’s Biology department as a lab assistant and as a veterinary assistant prior to beginning her undergraduate program.

Breanne believes curiosity and passion are integral to studying biology and lab work. She finds inspiration in the world and those around her and hopes to continue her education in graduate school in the upcoming years.

This could be you, look here to see how you can become part of our team.