Izzabella Green

Pronouns: She/Her

E-MAIL:  [email protected]

Undergraduate Institution and Major:

Willamette University, B.A. in Biological Science, 2020

Graduate Advisor:

Ben Saunders, Ph.D., Department of Neuroscience

Graduate Publications

• Poisson CL, Green IK, Stemmler GM, Prohofsky J, Wolff AR, Herubin C, Blake M, Saunders BT. Superior Colliculus Projections Drive Dopamine Neuron Activity and Movement But Not Value. J Neurosci. 2025 Nov 19;45(47):e0291252025. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0291-25.2025. PMID: 41087170; PMCID: PMC12634199.

Graduate Awards/Honors

Morris Smithberg Memorial Prize, 2026 
MSTP JEDI Leadership Fellowship, 2026 
Center for Neural Circuits in Addiction Pilot Grant, 2026

Undergraduate Research

At Willamette University, I worked in Dr. Kyle Stephenson's Psychology research lab to explore predictors and mediators of distress related to sexual dysfunction. After graduation, I completed two years of post-baccalaureate research at the Mayo Clinic in Dr. Karl Clark's Behavioral and Functional Genetics lab. There, I utilized zebrafish models to explore genetic modifiers of the HPI axis signaling pathway that mediates the systemic stress response. I also piloted a novel behavioral assay paradigm to assess zebrafish responses to acute stressors. My background in psychology and behavioral genetics culminated into an interest in the neurobiological mechanisms of behavior, especially within the context of addiction and psychiatric disorders.

Undergraduate Publications

Postbac publications

• Lee HB, Shams S, Dang Thi VH, Boyum GE, Modhurima R, Hall EM, Green IK, Cervantes EM, Miguez FE, Clark KJ. Key HPI axis receptors facilitate light adaptive behavior in larval zebrafish. Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 2;14(1):7759.