Dennis R. Sparta, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dennis received his B.A. degree in Psychology from Rutgers University in 2002 and his Ph.D. from UNC Chapel Hill in 2007 where he worked with Todd Thiele. He completed his postdoctoral work with Antonello Bonci at UCSF where he learned slice electrophysiology and Garret Stuber at UNC Chapel Hill where he learned in vivo electrophysiology and optogenetic strategies to study the neurocircuitry involved in reward and motivation
Dennis started the lab in 2014 in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. In 2022, the Sparta Lab moved to the University of Illinois at Chicago to join the Department of Psychology. He has co-authored over 34 papers on the neurocircuitry underlying motivated behavior and alcohol use disorder. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling, Radiohead, role playing video games and his pug Wallis.
Josh Sevigny, B.S.
Graduate Student
Josh received his B.S. in Ecology with a minor in Psychology from Seattle Pacific University in 2019. His undergraduate research was focused on risk-sensitive behavior and the neural circuitry of motivated decision making. After graduating he worked as a research associate at the Allen Institute where he supported many ongoing projects in the Brain Science division.
In 2022 he joined the Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the University of Illinois Chicago. In the Sparta lab he is receiving training in techniques such as slice electrophysiology and optogenetics. His work is focused on the effects of psychoactive substance use on reward circuitry in the developing, adolescent brain. In his spare time he enjoys family, friends, music, traveling, and great coffee.
Katy Vetter, B.S.
Research Specialist
Katy graduated from UIC in May 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience. She joined the Sparta Lab in 2023 as a research tech and plans to continue working and learning from her peers at the lab before eventually pursuing a PhD. Katy is excited to begin building a research career centered around progressing the understanding of addiction, finding it not only fascinating but more relevant to pursue than ever. Outside the lab, Katy enjoys traveling to the mountains, hiking, skiing, drawing and painting, and spending time with friends and family.
Sean Schrank, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Sean received his B.S. in Biology from Wisconsin Lutheran college in 2014, and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Rosalind Franklin University in 2021 where he worked with Beth Stutzman and Robert Marr. He received training in slice electrophysiology as well as molecular biology techniques including lentiviral vector generation, generation and culturing of human induced neuron cultures, and immunohistochemistry.
Sean joined the Sparta lab in 2022 with the focus of elucidating the mechanisms by which inflammation caused by chronic alcohol consumption may augment and reinforce alcohol use disorder with particular respect to the CRF signaling system. When not in lab, Sean often thinks about patch pipettes, and when relaxed enjoys reading science fiction or fantasy novels, cooking, painting, drone photography, and being amongst trees.
Nurfadhlina Ika Yunus, B.S.
Lab Coordinator
Nurfadhlina, who goes by Ika, graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor’s in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Psychology in 2020. She previously worked as a medical scribe at the emergency department as well as at a global pre-clinical CRO where she was an Infusion/IV research technician. Ika joined the Sparta Lab in 2022 as a Research Specialist.
Ika is fueled by her determination to always learning, and considers herself a “forever student”, eager to build on her academic foundations in biomedical sciences and psychology and to always grow as an individual and in a team. She believed mindfulness in the workplace is key to success- so in her spare time, she is always on the hunt for great places to eat, dancing and spending quality time with family, her partner and friends.
Oscar Aguilar
GANAS Research Fellow
Oscar Aguilar is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in neuroscience and minoring in computer science at UIC. With a passion for neuroscience and a focus on understanding addiction use disorders, he began working at Sparta Lab in the summer of 2023. Oscar's research journey started during a study abroad program in the Galapagos Islands in 2022, which sparked his interest in research and data analysis. Oscar's true passion, however, lies in neuroscience, particularly in neurotechnology and understanding the mechanisms behind psychoactive substances.
Apart from his academic pursuits, he enjoys live-music, robotics, reading non-fiction/philosophy, and he loves exploring nature, often visiting the Garfield Park Conservatory and the Morton Arboretum. Hailing from the west side of Chicago, he regards the city and its museums as his backyard. Oscar is excited to contribute his expertise and commitment to Sparta Lab's exploration of neural circuitry in neuropsychiatric illnesses in mice models.
Lab Alumni
Kasey S. Given, Ph.D., Graduate Student, currently at Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bruchas and Zweifel Labs, University of Washington Rosanna A. Marino, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Venniro Lab, University of Maryland School of Medicine Sonia Aroni, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow, currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Melis Lab at the University of Cagliari Antonio Figueiredo, Graduate Student. currently a Graduate Student in the Cheer Lab, University of Maryland School of Medicine Jovana Navarrete, Research Technician, currently a graduate student in the Golden Lab, University of Washington