Dr. Scott Kanoski, PhD
Principal Investigator

Professor (Nov. 2023-Present)
Human and Evolutionary Biology Section
Department of Biological Sciences

Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences,
University of Southern California

President-Elect, President, and Past-President of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB; 2022-2025)

Co-Director of the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute (DORI; 2021-present)

-B.S. in Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1996-2000)
-M.S. in Psychology, Purdue University (2003-2006)
-Ph.D. in Psychology, Purdue University (2006-2009) (T.L. Davidson Lab)
-Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Pennsylvania (2009-2012) (H.J. Grill Lab)

-Assistant Professor of Human and Evolutionary Biology, University of Southern California (1/1/13-4/4/19)

-Associate Professor of Human and Evolutionary Biology, University of Southern California (4/5/19-11/20/23)

olivia moody

Lab Manager (2024-present)

-B.S. in Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens (2024; Neuroscience emphasis; Minor in Biology; Minor in Human Development & Family Sciences)

Dr. Bo Sortman

Postdoc (2026-present)

-Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Florida (2024)

-B.A. in Psychology, California State University, Long Beach (2019, Magna Cum Laude)

Dr. elena kozlova

Postdoc (2026-present)

-Ph.D. in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside (2026; NIH NRSA F31 Fellow)

-B.S. in Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside (2016)

dr. ellie bonanno

Postdoc (2026-present)

-PhD in Psychology, Purdue University (2025)

-M.S. in Psychology, Purdue University (2022)

-B.S. in Psychology, Purdue University (2020)

Zander Bashaw

Ph.D. Candidate (2022-present; Neuroscience Graduate Program)

-B.S. in Biology and Italian, Vassar College (2018)

Lab Alumni

postdocs

• Dr. Léa Décarie-Spain (2020-2025): Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellow (2022-2025); Quebec Research Fund Fellow (2022-2023); Dorothy Gietzen Awardee from SSIB (2024); Presently a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the University of Montreal.

• Dr. Anna M.R. Hayes (2021-2025): NIDDK NRSA F32 fellow (2022-2025); Harry L. Kissileff Awardee from SSIB (2023); Presently at tenure-track Assistant Professor of Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University.

• Dr. Elizabeth Davis (2018-2020): Harry L. Kissileff Awardee from SSIB (2019); Presently a Medical Science Liaison in Neurology at Bristol Myers Squibb.

• Dr. Sarah Terrill (2019-2020): Presently at tenure-track Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Carthage College.

• Dr. Emily Noble (2015-2019): NIDDK K01 awardee (2019): NIDDK NRSA F32 Fellow (2017-2019); Harry L. Kissileff Awardee from SSIB (2017); 1st Place in Early Career Grant Challenge Competition from TOS; Ethan Sims Early Investigator Awardee from TOS; Presently an Associate Professor (with tenure) of Foods & Nutrition at University of Georgia Athens.

PhD students

• Dr. Molly Klug (2021-2026): NIDDK NRSA F31 Fellow (2024-2026); Harrison M. Kurtz Memorial Awardee from USC (2026); Presently a postdoctoral researcher at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (Clemmensen Lab).

• Dr. Jessica Rea (2021-2025): NIDDK NRSA F31 Fellow (2023-2025); Presently a Generalist Consultant at Brain & Company.

• Dr. Keshave Subramanian (2020-2024): NSF GRFP Fellow (2020-2024); Harrison M. Kurtz Memorial Awardee from USC (2023); Presently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania (Hayes Lab).

• Dr. Linda Tsan (2017-2022): NSF GRFP Fellow (2018-2022); Presently at postdoctoral researcher at AbbVie.

• Dr. Clarissa Liu (2016-2020): NIDDK NRSA F31 Fellow (2018-2021); Presently a psotdoctoral researcher at Amgen Inc.

• Dr. Andrea Suarez (2015-2020): NIDDK NRSA F31 Fellow (2018-2020); Harrison M. Kurtz Memorial Awardee from USC (2020); Presently a Senior Scientist at ADARx Pharmaceuticals Inc.

• Dr. Ted Hsu (2013-2017): NIDDK NRSA F31 Fellow (2016-2017); G.P. Smith Awardee from SSIB; Harrison M. Kurtz Memorial Awardee from USC (2017); Graduate Student of the Year in USC NGP (2016); George A. Bray Doctoral Dissertation Awardee from TOS (2018). Presently a freelance science writer.

masters degree students

• Cindy Gu, M.S. (2022-2024): M.S. in Biological Sciences (2024-2025); M.S. in Molecular Genetics & Biochemistry.

lab managers and research technicians

• Alicia Kao (Research Technician and Lab Manater; 2022-2024): Presently at PhD student in Neuroscience at UCLA.

• Kristin Donohue (Lab Manager; 2021-2024): Presently at Regional Sales Manager at ZwickRoell.

• Alyssa Cortella, M.S. (Lab Manager; 2016-2022): Presently at Research Data Analyst at UCSF.

• Lekha Chirala, M.D. (Research Technician; 2019-2020): Presently a Medical Residency Program Intern at Washing University.

• Dr. Vaibhav Konanur (Lab Manager; 2013-2016): Presently at postdoctoral researcher at UIC (Zak Lab).

undergraduates, post-baccs, and phd rotation students

• Robert Cheng (Biological Sciences, Neuroscience; SURF Fellow; SOAR Fellow)

• Alice Waldow (B.S. in Human Biology, 2025; Helen Leslie Milligan Turner Fellow; Okin Scholar in Biological Sciences; USC Provost Fellow; USC Swim Team; SCynergy Award recipient)

• Sheng-Heng Tsai (Neuroscience Graduate Student rotation, 2024)

• Kayla Paguio (2024; USC Summer Program in Diabetes and Obesity Research [SPIDOR] Program for outstanding underrepresented students in science and medicine)

• Abigail Wiseman (USC NEURAL Summer Program, 2024)

• Arun Ahuja (B.S. in Neuroscience, 2024; Trustee Scholar; Outstanding Neuroscience Student of the Year Award, 2023; 1st place for USC Undergraduate Research Symposium research presentation, 2023; Provost Scholar)

• Kenneth Phung (B.S. in Biological Sciences; SOAR Fellow; SURF Fellow)

• Natalie Tanios (B.S. in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Provost Fellow)

• Anna Nourbash (B.S. in Biochemistry, 2024; SURF Fellow; Provost Fellow)

• Ryan Wisniewski (B.S. in Neuroscience, 2024; SOAR Fellow)

• Lucy Panagos (B.S. in Human Biology, 2024)

• Megan Marentes (2023; USC Summer Program in Diabetes and Obesity Research [SPIDOR] Program for outstanding underrepresented students in science and medicine)

• Iris Deng (B.S. in Neuroscience, 2023; USC Presidential Scholar; Provost Fellow; SOAR Fellow; SURF Fellow)

• Grace Schwartz (B.S. in Psychology, 2023; USC Dean’s Scholar; Provost Fellow; SOAR Fellow)

• Kara McBurnett (B.S. in Health and Human Sciences, 2022; Provost Fellow; 2022 1st place for USC Undergraduate Symposium research presentation)

• Alicia Kao (B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology, 2022; URAP Fellow; Dornsife Neuroscience Fellow; USC Outstanding Neuroscience Student of the Year Award, 2022)

• Isabella Gianatiempo (B.S. in Computational Neuroscience, 2022; Dornsife Neuroscience Fellow; Provost Fellow; URAP Fellow; WiSE Fellow; Recipient of the Brian Phillip Rakusin Neuroscience Scholarship Award; SOAR Fellow)

• Rita Ohan (B.S. in Human Biology, 2022; USC Trustee Scholar & Norman Topping Scholar; Recipient of the Milo Don Appleman Award; SOAR Fellow)

• Chinaza Udekwe (2022; USC Summer Program in Diabetes and Obesity Research [SPIDOR] Program for outstanding underrepresented students in science and medicine)

• John Ramos (2022; USC Summer Program in Diabetes and Obesity Research [SPIDOR] Program for outstanding underrepresented students in science and medicine)

• Lana Bridi (B.S. in Human Biology, 2021; B.S. in Mathematics; USC Stamps Scholar, USC Dornsife Ambassador, Recipient of the Okin Scholarship in Biological Sciences)

• April Li (B.S. in Human Biology, 2021)

• Rae Lan (B.S. in Neuroscience, 2020; USC Trustee Scholar, Recipient of the USC Neuroscience Outstanding Student of the Year Award, Recipient of the Global Scholar Prize for Graduate Study, Recipient of the Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship, Recipient of the Rose Hills Research Award, Provost Fellow, SOAR Fellow, 2nd place for USC Undergraduate Symposium research presentation)

• Logan Tierno (2019; USC Summer Program in Diabetes and Obesity Research [SPIDOR] Program for outstanding underrepresented students in science and medicine)

• Jamie Clarke (B.S. in Human Biology, 2019; USC Trustee Scholar, Recipient of the Don Milo Appleman Award, Provost Fellow, SOAR Fellow, 1st place for USC Undergraduate Symposium research presentation)

• Lekha Chirala (B.S. in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, 2019; URAP Fellow)

• Victor Lee (B.S. in Human Biology, 2019; USC Presidential Scholar, Provost Fellow, SOAR Fellow)

• Ryan Fatemi (B.S. in Neuroscience, 2019; SOAR Fellow)

• Emily Wan (B.S. in Neuroscience, 2019; USC Grace Ford Salvatori Scholar, USC J. Wesley Robb Endowed Scholar, USC Sylas and Rose Marx Meyer Scholar)

• Tanisha London (Neuroscience Graduate Student Rotation, 2019)

• Anish Reddy (B.S. in Neuroscience in 2018; SOAR Fellow, SURF Fellow)

• Emily Nakamoto (B.S. in Neuroscience in 2017; SOAR Fellow, Provost Fellow)

• Kaitlin Sontag (B.S. in Human Biology in 2017; SOAR Fellow, SURF Fellow, USC Presidential Scholar)

• Natalie Demirjian (B.S. in Human Biology in 2017; SURF Fellow)

• April Banayan (B.S. in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in 2017)

• Ahyun Jung (Neuroscience Graduate Student Rotation, 2017)

• Danielle Rider (Postbaccalaureate Premed Program, 2016-17)

• Caroline Szujewski (Postbaccalaureate Researcher, 2016-17, B.S. in Neuroscience in 2014)

• Allison Apfel (B.S. in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in 2016; Provost Fellow, URAP Fellow)

• Nikita Shirsat (B.S. candidate in Neuroscience; WISE fellow)

• Lilly Taing (B.S. in Health and Humanity in 2016; Recipient of the Fulbright U.S. Student Award, Provost Fellow, SURF Fellow, USC Presidential Scholar)

• Jessica Thai (B.S. in Biological Sciences in 2016; SOAR Fellow, SURF Fellow, Provost Fellow, USC Presidential Scholar)

• Sandhya Prathap (Neuroscience Graduate Student Rotation, 2016)

• Monica Song (Neuroscience Graduate Student Rotation, 2015-16)

• Augstina Kim (B.S. in Human Biology in 2015; SCynergy Awardee, Provost Fellow)

• Ryan Usui (B.S. in Human Biology in 2015; Provost Fellow)

• Joanna Liang (B.S. in Psychology in 2015; SOAR Fellow, SURF Fellow, Psychology Honors Graduate, USC Deans Scholar)

• Mehul Trivedi (B.S. in Biological Sciences in 2015; Provost Fellow, URAP Fellow, USC Presidential Scholar)

• Hrant Gevorgian (B.S. in Human Biology in 2015)

• Jonathan Cheung (Neuroscience Graduate Student Rotation, 2014-15)

• Ashley Lam (B.S. in Neuroscience in 2014; SOAR Fellow, SURF Fellow)