Principal Investigator

Dr. Vonder Haar is primarily interested in the long-term functional consequences of brain injury and other diseases and improving animal models of disease. He received his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Subsequently, he took a postdoctoral position at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at OSU and affiliated with the CBI and IBMR.

Co-Investigator

Dr. Martens' interests are varied, but her ultimate goal is to help individuals recover function following injury, particularly in the case of TBI. She obtained her doctorate from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and went on to complete two postdocs. Her first was at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience in Lethbridge, AB, studying the effects of medial prefrontal lesions and her second was at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC, helping to characterize the CHIMERA model of brain injury and serving as a behavioral expert for the School of Medicine. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in Neuroscience at OSU.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Chu is a post-doctoral researcher who joined the lab since 2024. His current project aims to investigate the links between neuroinflammation and behavioral changes following brain injury, with a particular focus on the role of microglial activation and circuitry remodelling that underlies a loss of impulse control. He received his Bachelor of Biomedical Science (Honours) degree in 2019 and subsequently a Ph.D. in neuroscience and immunology from Monash University in 2024. Outside the lab benches you can find him in the kitchen baking a batch of cookies.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Dr. Kalra is a postdoctoral researcher who joined the lab in 2026. Her current research uses computational methods, including statistical modeling and machine learning, to investigate how traumatic brain injury affects decision-making and neural activity. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2026, with a minor in Statistics. Her doctoral research focused on signal processing, optimization, and statistical modeling for biological and neuroscience applications. Outside the lab, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.

Lab Technician & Postbac

Alexandra continued in a postbac after completing her Master’s degree with the lab. She graduated with her B.S. in Neuroscience from The Ohio State University in 2024. Her interests are in the contributions of the gut microbiome to post TBI risky decision making and impulsivity. In her free time, she enjoys dancing and other artistic endeavors.

Lab Technician & Postbac

Fikir is a postbac planning on applying to MD/Ph.D. programs. She graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Ohio State University in 2025. In her free time she enjoys reading, doing puzzles, and spending time with friends and family.

Undergrad RA (2026-Cur)

Valentino is from Pune, India with a background in Psychophysiology majoring in Biology. Outside of the lab, he loves dancing, singing, and studying about different cultures.

Undergrad RA (2026-Cur)

Bronson is an undergraduate student majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience and with a minor background in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Outside of lab and in his free time, he enjoys live music, weightlifting, and spending time with friends and family.

Undergrad RA (2026-Cur)

Mallory is an undergraduate student studying Neuroscience on a Pre-Medical track. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing tennis, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Undergrad RA (2026-Cur)

Undergrad RA (2026-Cur)