PhD Student, Department of Neuroscience (IPN)
PhD Student, Laboratory of Preclinical Neurobiology
Director, Neuroscience Society
Research Interests: Neurodegeneration, Opioids, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology
Advisor: Italo Mocchetti, PhD
Rotations: Brent Harris, MD, PhD; Italo Mocchetti, PhD & Lee Campbell, PhD; Kathy Maguire-Zeiss, PhD
Prior Education: George Mason University, B.S., Clinical Psychology (2021); George Mason University, B.S., Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience (2021); Georgetown University, M.S., Neuroscience (2025)
Alec is a doctoral candidate in the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) and an IMSD fellow at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He’s interested in the molecular mechanisms of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) and Mu-opioid receptor agonists (MORs). His current thesis project looks at the interplay of gp120, P75NTR, and mu-opioid receptor agonists in myelin disruption in HAND pathology.
He earned his B.S. degrees in both Neuroscience and Psychology, with a minor in Physics from George Mason University, where he has been acknowledged for his contributions to all three departments. Outside of academia, he’s a CrossFit athlete, plays drums for Sabian and Pearl, enjoys trying new foods, and nature.