Current Lab Members

Vicki joined the Palavicini Lab in October 2025 with over 20 years of experience in preclinical animal research. She serves as our lab manager, overseeing purchasing, regulatory coordination, and day‑to‑day operations, and as our research technician, bringing extensive expertise in cognitive, metabolic, and geroscience-focused in vivo studies.

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Vicki grew up in San Antonio. Beyond the laboratory, she enjoys reading, gardening, and attending live music shows.

Eduardo, the first PhD student to join the Palavicini Lab (Jan 2024), received his MD from Anáhuac University in Mexico City and his MS in Neuroscience from UTSA. He has been conducting research in this field for over 3 years. His research interests include neurodegenerative diseases, neuroimmunology, neuroplasticity, and molecular neuroscience.

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Eduardo’s project focuses on the role of PLCG2, a gene associated with Alzheimer’s disease risk and longevity, in brain health and neuroinflammation. He passed his qualifying exam with honors in June 2025 and his thesis proposal in January 2026.

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Eduardo grew up in Torreón, Mexico. Beyond the laboratory, he enjoys watching movies, sports, and tabletop gaming.

Charlie graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Classics. She is interested in how external factors contribute to neurodegeneration and completed a senior honors thesis focusing on the perception of Alzheimer's disease in Ghana. She joined the Palavicini Lab in June 2026 through the HU-ERA-PREP program, where she is continuing her interests in aging and Alzheimer’s disease research.

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Charlie is originally from Queens, New York. Outside of the lab, she enjoys arts and crafts activities, such as diamond painting and latch hooking, and participating in community service.

Macie graduated from High Point University with a BS in Neuroscience and minors in Biology and Italian Studies. Her research interests stem from wanting to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases.

Macie’s project focuses on investigating the relationship between progranulin expression, disease-associated microglial markers, and lysosomal function in Alzheimer’s disease.

Macie is originally from Austin, Texas. Outside of the laboratory, she enjoys following Formula 1 and the NHL, as well as learning new languages.

Ananya is a medical student interested in neurology, neurosurgery, and the care of older adults. Her experiences volunteering in hospice care and supporting family members with neurodegenerative disease sparked a strong commitment to improving quality of life for people with age-related conditions.

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In the Palavicini Lab, Ananya is studying how age and humanized tau biology interact with microglial responses after ischemic stroke in MAPT-GR mice, with the goal of understanding mechanisms that drive post-stroke tauopathy and cognitive decline in older adults.

Anna is a first-year college student at UTSA with a neuroscience major. She has a strong background in patient care with senior citizens, which sparked her interest in aging research. In the Palavicini lab, she will be working with full-time lab members to study how chronic jet lag impacts aging. 

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Anna is originally from the Woodlands, TX. Outside of the laboratory, she enjoys painting, drawing, and singing in choir.

​Max is a researcher focused on mechanisms and interventions that influence human longevity and age-related disease. He brings extensive experience in large-scale literature curation on aging, having screened hundreds of thousands of studies and led the development of resources such as the Rodent Aging Interventions Database (RAID) and MortalityPredictors.org.

Interested in joining the Palavicini Lab? We are recruiting a motivated graduate student to lead a project in Alzheimer’s disease or the biology of aging, aligned with our lab’s focus on brain aging and dementia. Reach out to Dr. Palavicini to learn more about rotation opportunities.