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Join Parrish Lab

Apply Here
Thanks for your interest in participating in mentored research in the Parrish Lab. I’m thankful for all the great BYU students who want to contribute to scientific advancement. For those applying for credit before the add/drop deadline, keep the following things in mind:
  • Strong preference is given to students who: 
    • Are willing to work a minimum of 10 hours per week. 
    • Intend to work in the lab for a minimum of 18 months. 
    • Are enrolled in either Cell450R or the mentored research (Cell295R/Cell495R/Neuro449R) during the semesters or terms that you work in the lab. 
    • Will be available to work in the lab during Spring and Summer
To understand the lab expectations and onboarding process, please click on the Parrish Lab Logo just below the application questions to download a word document with our current syllabus for all those participating in the lab. If you are curious to know what our lab is working on, please see the "Relevant Literature" tab above

Undergraduate students may occasionally be hired for paid positions in the lab. However, this typically occurs after they have worked in the lab for at least two semesters for university credit, dedicating a minimum of 10 hours per week. Even then, paid positions depend on available funding, and only students who demonstrate strong commitment and significant progress in their work will be considered for the limited paid positions.

A reference letter from a research mentor is incredibly helpful for medical and graduate school applications. If this is an outcome from the lab you are looking for, it is expected that you will work for a minimum of 1 year or 3 semesters before receiving a letter.

If you are interested in joining the lab, please fill out the application below. Afterwards, please reach out to one of the graduate students or undergraduate project leaders by sending them an email to learn more about their project and check their availability. Research positions, graduate student contact information, and undergraduate leaders contact information can be found below the application form.

Please note that we can’t take all students that apply, but we want to help as many students as possible get a rich research experience.

Lab Syllabus - Parrish Lab

Click on this card to download the lab syllabus.

Graduate Students

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Melissa Blotter

Seizure propagation with novel electrophysiology technology.
Contact: mb8861@student.byu.edu
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Rachel Ricks

Studying how energy supplementation effects migraine pathophysiology.
Contact: rlricks@student.byu.edu
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Dr. Kojo Bawuah Afran-Okese

Studying Spreading Depolarization (SD) with an ex vivo zebrafish model.
Contact: bka42@student.byu.edu
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Undergraduate Project Student Leads

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Jacob Norby

Analysis of seizures and seizure termination in rodent and human data.
Contact: jhn25@student.byu.edu
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Preston Withers

Determination of migraine associated pathology.
Contact: withersp@student.byu.edu
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Alexis Given

Solutions and mouse husbandry team lead.
Contact: agiven@student.byu.edu
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Lab Management

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Isaac Stubbs

Financial & Equipment manager of the Parrish lab. For questions regarding Workday or Equipment,
Contact: isaac01@student.byu.edu
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Tori Poulsen

Contact Tori with any general inquiries about the lab or the application process.
Contact: torip21@student.byu.edu
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Adjunct Graduate Students

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Kutter Hine

Identification of target genes related to seizures using novel spatial technologies.
Contact: kh9012@student.byu.edu
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Position Description:

Ex Vivo Seizure Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/week (flexible)
-Research credit position
-Conduct seizure research with mouse brain slices

Solutions and Husbandry Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/week (flexible)
-Research credit position
-Make solutions and manage animal husbandry

Migraine Pathology Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/week
-Research credit position
-Conduct migraine research with mouse brain slices and fish brains

Fish Genetics and Husbandry Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/week (flexible)
-Research credit position
-Conduct SD research with zebrafish brains
-Create genetic zebrafish lines and do general zebrafish husbandry

Data Analysis Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/week
-Research credit position
-Required previous coding experience
-Conduct analysis on biological data

Immunohisto- chemistry Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/ week
-Research credit position

-Aid in visualization of various molecules in ex vivo tissue

Cell Respiration Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/ week
-Research credit position

-Gather metabolism data from mouse brain slices

Brain Slice Preparation Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/ week (between 7-10 am)
-Research credit position

-Handle, anesthetize, and euthanize mice for research purposes

-Make mouse brain slices using Vibratome technology

3D Printing Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/ week (flexible)
-Research credit position

-Master 3D printing technology for scientific applications

Spatial Transcriptomics Team

-Minimum of 10 hrs/week
-Research credit position
-Study the link between genes and seizures with mouse brain tissue