Meet the Team!

Nicole Scheff, PhD

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor, Department Of Neurobiology, University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine

Dr. Scheff received her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh Center for Neuroscience in 2014. She did a postdoctoral fellowship in oral cancer pain under the mentorship of Dr. Brian Schmidt at New York University College of Dentistry. After receiving a K99/R00 transition to independence career development award from NIH NIDCR, Dr. Scheff started her independent research career in 2020 in the Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Her laboratory is housed in the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

Pub Med Publications

Lisa McIlvried, PhD

Research Assistant Professor

Lisa completed her BS in Neuroscience and Psychology at Allegheny College, her PhD in Neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh, and postdoctoral work at Washington University in St. Louis specializing in pain research. She is currently research faculty in the Dept of Neurobiology. Outside of work she enjoys hiking, playing volleyball, and time with family.

Megan Atherton

Laboratory Manager

Megan earned her BA studying philosophy and history of science at St. John’s College (Annapolis, MD), followed by a BS in Biology at UNCA (Asheville, NC). Current interests include animal behavior and biostatistics. Outside of the lab, Megan enjoys gardening, hiking, and spending time with her young sons.

André Martel Matos

Graduate Student

Andre has a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a graduate student in the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. Outside of the lab, Andre enjoys sports (huge soccer fan), hiking, and watching horror movies.

Rachel Krane

Undergraduate Extern

Rachel is a senior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in chemistry on the pre-med track. Outside of the lab, she enjoys playing volleyball, cooking and baking, kayaking, and spending time with friends and family.

Jared Rothberg

Undergraduate Extern

Jared is a junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry. He is interested in the relationship between the dopaminergic system and cancer. In his free time, he volunteers as a firefighter and spends time with family and friends.

Kathryn Eskew

Undergraduate Extern

Kathryn is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry on a pre-PA track. Outside of the lab, she enjoys reading romance novels, baking, working out, and playing pickleball.