Our Team

Meet the researchers driving discovery in the Ferguson Lab.

Principal Investigator

Deveroux Ferguson, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Dr. Ferguson received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University under Robert M. Sapolsky, followed by postdoctoral training at Mount Sinai with Eric J. Nestler. His research focuses on understanding why some individuals are resilient to stress while others develop depression and addiction.

Training: Stanford (Sapolsky) → Mount Sinai (Nestler)

H-index: 33 | Citations: 7,232+

Awards
  • • Top 1000 Inspiring Black Scientists (Cell Press, 2021)
  • • Brain Research Foundation Seed Grant (2024)
  • • K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (NIMH)
  • • NARSAD Young Investigator Award

Research Faculty

Hee-Dae Kim, Ph.D.

Assistant Research Professor

Promoted December 2025. Focus on fiber photometry and spatial transcriptomics. Lead researcher on SIRT1/depression and Shisa6 projects.

Awards
  • • NARSAD Young Investigator Award
  • • DoD PRMRP Discovery Award
  • • ABRC New Investigator Award

Postdoctoral Fellows

Hyung Joon (Joon) Cho, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

2023-Present

Graduate Students

Tanessa Call

Graduate Student

ASU IGPN

Awards
  • • Harry Lowell Swift Award
  • • ARCS Fellowship

Research Staff

Alyssa Barneys

Research Technician

2024-Present

Brian

Research Technician

Yen Nguyen

Research Technician

2024-Present

Undergraduate Researchers

Brain Park

Undergraduate Researcher

2024-Present

Umar Nawaz

Undergraduate Researcher

2024-Present