Director

Junghee Lee, PhD

Dr. Junghee Lee is an Associate Professor and the Geropsychiatry Research Chair at the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 


Contact: jungheelee@uabmc.edu

Lab Manager

Andrew Meddaugh

Andrew Meddaugh is a clinical research coordinator at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  He has an undergraduate educational background in psychology from the University of Houston. 


Contact: nlsb.uab@gmail.com

Clinical Research Coordinators

Becca Pitts

Becca Pitts is a clinical research coordinator at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  She holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  She enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and sweet pup, Maya.


Contact: nlsb.uab@gmail.com

Zahab Aleezada

Zahab Aleezada is a clinical research coordinator at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and minors in Spanish and Chemistry. She enjoys trying out new restaurants, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Contact: nlsb.uab@gmail.com

Alexandria Jones

Alexandria Jones is a clinical research coordinator at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and minors in Chemistry and Forensic Science. She enjoys traveling, spending time outdoors, and trying out new restaurants. 

Contact: nlsb.uab@gmail.com

Graduate Students

Hyun Freeman

Hyun Freeman is a graduate student in the Medical/Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She graduated with her bachelor's in science in Psychology with a minor in neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She enjoys baking, spending time outdoors, and spending time with her family.



Julia Julien

Julia earned her B.S. in Psychology from the University of the Virgin Islands. Currently, she is a Behavioral Neuroscience PhD student broadly interested in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying social decision-making in the face of adversity. Outside of the lab, Julia enjoys winning scavenger hunt prizes at the local library, exploring art museums, and traveling with her family. 

Undergraduate Students

Ethan Rupp

Ethan Rupp is an undergraduate student majoring in neuroscience and minoring in chemistry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is from New Orleans, Louisiana, and loves to visit his family on the weekends. He is a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity, the Global Medical Brigades, the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society, and the Vice President and treasurer of the UAB lacrosse team. He loves to play lacrosse with his friends, hang out and study with his fraternity brothers, and try new restaurants with his girlfriend. 



Pranav Kanchanam 

Pranav Kanchanam is an undergraduate student majoring in neuroscience and minoring in chemistry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a huge fan of basketball. He is currently a Mental Health Ambassador and a member of AED. He loves playing basketball with his friends and watching movies with his family. 



Our lab is accepting undergraduate and graduate students in Fall 2022.  We are also looking for a postdoctoral fellow who is interested in investigating the underlying mechanisms of social dysfunction in serious mental illness. Check the Opportunities page for more information!