Our Spring 2026 Alward lab photo!
Top, left to right: Siri Robinson, Mark Lewis, Lauren Saenz, Alexandra Tabacu, Beau Alward, Maddy Barron, Omar Abdelhadi
Bottom, left to right: Mika Holtz (rotating PhD student), Reva Diwan, Destiny Mendoza, Rebeca Fuquen (rotating PhD student)
We are currently looking for PhD students + postdocs! If you are interested, please reach out to Beau Alward directly (balward@ucla.edu).
Beau Alward, PhD
Principal Investigator of the Neuroendocrinology and Behavior Lab
Beau went to American River Community College before transferring to UC Davis, where he earned his BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. He got his PhD from Johns Hopkins University and was an Arnold O. Beckman Fellow at Stanford University. He was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Houston from 2019-2024. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology at UCLA. He is interested in how our brains process social information and generate appropriate physiological and behavioral responses.
Destiny Mendoza, B.S.
Lab Manager
Alexandra Tabacu, B.S.
Research Technician
Alexandra earned her B.S. in Human Biology and Society from UCLA, where she developed a strong interest in the relationship between neuroendocrine signaling, development, and social behavior. Since joining the Alward Lab as an undergraduate, she has studied the role of isotocin, the teleost homolog of oxytocin, in the development of social cohesion in Astatotilapia burtoni. Her work combines behavioral experiments, pharmacological approaches, and genetic manipulation to investigate how early-life neuroendocrine signaling shapes social behavior. She plans to pursue a career as a physician-scientist.
Candice Malone, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow
Candice graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in Psychology and Biology. Following this, she completed her PhD in the lab of Cathy Marler at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied the role of peptide and steroid hormones on pair behaviors in monogamous mice. Her research interests center on the correlative and causal neural/hormonal changes that occur alongside major social transitions. In her free time, she enjoys cuddling on the couch with her dogs, Ziggy and Zena, and starting (but rarely finishing) numerous charcoal drawings.
Maddy Barron, B.S.
Masters Student, UCLA IBP
Melanie Dussenne, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Omar Abdelhadi
Neuroscience and Physics Majors
Reva Diwan
Computational & Systems Biology Major
Nathaniel Le
Neuroscience Major
Max Poveda
Neuroscience Major, Anthropology Minor
Siri Robinson
Neuroscience Major, Society and Genetics Minor
Loyda Santos
Physiological Science and Cognitive Science Majors
Archive
Spring 2023 Alward lab
Top, left to right: Sarah Gawlik, Maxximus Ramsaroop, Mariana Lopez, Lillian Jackson, Melanie Dussenne, Sarina Momin.
Bottom, left to right: Megan Howard, Jacqueline Bahrami, Andrew Hoadley, Beau Alward, Kat Munley, Amy Hoang.
Not present: Mariam Dumitrascu
Lab Alumni
Lauren Saenz (Now: PhD student at the Florida State University’s Neuroscience and Biomedical Sciences department)
Kat Munley, PhD (Now: PI of The Seasonal and Social Neuroendocrinology Lab at the University of Alberta)
Mariana Lopez, PhD
Lillian Jackson, PhD
Jacqueline Bahrami
Amy Hoang
Sarina Momin
Sarah Gawlik
Mariam Dumitrascu (Now: Medical Student at Baylor College of Medicine)
Andrew Hoadley (Now: University of Chicago, Animal Care Operations Specialist)
Megan Howard (Now: Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Master’s program at Gothe University in Frankfurt)
Maxximus Ramsaroop (Now: UT Austin Ecology and Evolutionary Biology PhD program)
Villa Matovu (Now: Mindfulness, Well-Being, and Spirituality Lab at the University of Houston)
Mark Mathews (Now: Medical Student at University of Houston College of Medicine)
Megan Lean (Now: Medical Student at UT Southwestern Medical School)
Kamille Hernandez (Now: Undergraduate at University of Pennsylvania)
Sara Loetzerich (Now: UH Biology and Biochemistry Graduate Program)
Richanda Berry (Now: UT San Antonio Clinical and Mental Health Counseling Masters Program)
Uchenna Inoma (Now: Lonza Bioscience)
Humayd Mirza (Now: Kosten Addiction Lab at UH)
Rohail Siddiqi (Now: Kosten Addiction Lab at UH)