Liz Moss, Ph.D. (she/her)

Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine

Email: mosse@ohsu.edu

Liz was born and raised in Sacramento, but she left sunny California to get a BS in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from MIT. She stayed in Boston for graduate school, earning her PhD in neuroscience from Tufts University where her research revealed how glial cells impact cortical interneuron development. After graduate school, Liz moved to Houston to do postdoctoral research at Baylor College of Medicine with Ben Arenkiel. At BCM she developed methods for probing neural circuit formation and function to investigate how odors are encoded in the brain. Her research lab at OHSU leverages in vivo imaging, behavior, and genetic manipulations in mouse models to study sensory processing and its modulation at the neural circuit level. Outside of the lab, she loves rock climbing, running, skiing, live music, and going on adventures with her husband, son, and dog.

Priscilla Ambrosi, Ph.D. (she/her)

Postdoctoral Researcher

Email: ambrosi@ohsu.edu

Priscilla, a Brazilian native, started as a post-doctoral fellow in the Moss Lab in Spring 2024, after earning her PhD in Neuroscience from Northwestern University. She was drawn to Portland and the Pacific Northwest by our mossy forests, mountains, chanterelles, and OHSU. Priscilla is committed to understanding decision-making mechanisms – from cell fate to wiring to behavior. During her PhD in Talia Lerner’s lab, she studied basal ganglia circuits underlying habit formation – and characterized dopamine circuits mediating the crosstalk between dorsomedial and dorsolateral striatum. In the Moss lab, she hopes to expand her electrophysiology and imaging expertise to uncover complete stories about how decisions made by individual neurons impact the dynamics of neural circuits and ultimately affect the decisions made by the whole organism. Outside of the lab, Priscilla is often covered in cat fur, clay and/or dirt, as she loves playing with her two cats, making ceramic sculptures, and scrambling in the great outdoors. If you have any pointers on how to attract birds to her window bird feeder please let her know!

Abigail Oniel

BSN Graduate student in Raber and Moss Lab

Email: oniela@ohsu.edu

I grew up in Montana and moved to the PNW to pursue higher education at Washington State University Vancouver. I completed a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience with minors in both Spanish and Biology in 2022. I worked with Jacob Raber as a research assistant for 2 years before matriculating into the graduate program in the fall of 2024. Under a co-mentorship with Drs. Jacob Raber and Elizabeth Moss, I aim to investigate the relationship between olfactory function and Alzheimer’s disease risk, with a particular focus on how genetic susceptibility modulates early olfactory deficits. When I’m not studying, I enjoy thrift shopping, fashion sewing, taking dance classes, and hanging out with my 5-lb Netherland Dwarf bunny.

Tuesday Kirby Kahl

PSU Undergraduate, McNair Scholar and URISE Fellow

Email: kahlki@ohsu.edu

Kirby is originally from the Houston, Texas area and moved to the PNW in 2019 for better outdoor access and a more moderate climate. Kirby is pursuing a bachelors degree in Psychology and Kinesiology with minors in Biology and Neuroscience at Portland State University. Her current research which began through the McNair Scholars Program is focused on understanding migration patterns of neuroblasts in response to traumatic brain injury. Kirby is a current URISE fellow and working on her undergraduate thesis for the PSU Honors College. Kirby hopes to use her future research career to study the resiliency and plasticity of the brain in response to insult and injury, inspired by her own experience with a TBI and the experiences of others in her community. When Kirby isn’t in class or the lab, she’s often found rock climbing, foraging, painting, sewing, snuggled with a book or covered in clay.

Openings for entry level and experienced research assistants!

The Moss Lab is looking to hire a research assistant and a graduate student who is interested working with mice to understand neural circuit function. If you’re curious, motivated, and interested in problem solving, this might be the job for you! We use a variety of techniques including stereotactic surgeries, viral transduction, optogenetics, fiber photometry, two-photon imaging, and behavior. If you have experience with these neuroscience methods, or if you want to learn, reach out using the form below.

Accepting students in 2025!