The Team
Principal Investigator
Project Scientist
Polo Morales
Research Assistant
Daniel Leal
Undergraduate Intern
Maleeha Amir
Undergraduate Intern
Cece Parker
Undergraduate Intern
Austin was raised in New Jersey. His goal is to provide a better understanding of depressive-like behaviors and explore alternative treatment options. Austin is committed to mentoring and teaching in his laboratory. He provides professional and career development assistance for at all levels. He is also an advocate on making a more diverse research environment.
Favorite authors: Michael Crichton, Blake Crouch
Favorite team: Los Angeles Lakers
Favorite shows: The Wire, Below Deck
Karen Safaryan, Ph.D., earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, where he investigated pattern recognition in large-scale network models of the cerebellar cortex. He then completed his postdoctoral research in UCLA’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, studying hippocampal neural dynamics during virtual reality navigation. As a Project Scientist in UCLA’s Department of Neurology, he explores local and extended brain network mechanisms underlying adaptive decision-making and cognitive flexibility in dynamic environments, using large-scale neural recording techniques (Neuropixels probes) in rodents.
Favorite hobbies: Hiking and Traveling, Poker and Chess
Favorite team: Liverpool FC
Polo graduated from UCLA in June 2024 with a B.S in Psychobiology. He was an undergraduate in the Churchland lab working on understanding decision-making in a genetic mouse model for autism, Neurexin1alpha. He utilized a standardized behavioral task from International Brain Laboratory, a two-choice task to probe how priors influence visually-guided decisions.
Favorite artists: Feid, Rels B
Favorite hobbies: Architect and landscape photography, hiking, and exploring the city
Daniel is an undergraduate student intern majoring in Neuroscience at UCLA
Fun Fact: He likes to play drums during free time
Favorite Soccer Team: Tottenham Spurs
Maleeha is an undergraduate student intern in Cognitive Science and Bioinformatics at UCLA. She enjoys solving Rubik’s cubes, going on runs and driving around random parts of LA during her free time.
Favorite TV show: Mr. Robot
Cece, raised in San Diego, is an undergraduate student volunteer majoring in Neuroscience at UCLA. She has previously worked as an intern at the Salk Institute and assisted in studying shared trauma in mice. She is excited and dedicated to growing a deeper understanding for neuroscience while in the Coley lab.
Favorite Team: Golden State Warriors
Interest: Activism, guitar, basketball