Leslie Sombers, Principal Investigator
Dr. Sombers heads our interdisciplinary lab researching the intersection of neuroscience and neurochemistry. After acquiring her Bachelor’s and Masters from the College of William and Mary, she completed her PhD at Pennsylvania State University with a post-doctoral position at University of North Carolina.
GRegory McCarty, PhD
Dr. McCarty received his BS, MS, and PhD from Penn State University to complete the full trifecta of degrees. He’s a research associate professor at the University of Florida conducting research on neurochemical detection using FSCV.
Email: gmccarty@ufl.edu
Jovica Todorov (he/him), Post Doctoral Scholar
Jovica comes from the Republic of North Macedonia. He joined the Sombers lab in 2019. His main interests are physical and analytical electrochemistry and design of electrodes that can provide improved sensing for biomolecules. He is involved in several projects for advancing electroanalytical detection of opioid-neuropeptides. One project is focused on investigating the electrochemistry of tyrosine as part of peptides related to the enkephalins. The findings have big implication in understating the electrochemical signal of these peptides in vivo and improving the selectivity and sensitivity for their measurement. In another project he works with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry for real-time monitoring of catecholamines and neuropeptides in brain and adrenal gland slices from rats. He has also done work in theoretical modeling in COMSOL. In his free time, he loves watching YouTube.
Email: jtodorov@ufl.edu
Kalynn Turner (she/her), 3RD year graduate student
Kalynn is from a small town in rural North Carolina called Marion. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from NC State University in 2022. In the lab, Kalynn is working on several projects that include characterizing the modulation of dopamine by other neurochemicals as well as simultaneously detecting serotonin and glucose in vivo. Outside of the lab, Kalynn likes hiking, reading and playing with her cats!
Email: km.turner@ufl.edu
Kayleigh Linder (she/her), 2ND Year graduate researcher
Kayleigh is from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and she graduated from East Carolina University with a BS in Science Education and Chemistry in 2023. She joined the Sombers lab in the Fall of 2023 and is working on research that includes using FSCV to evaluate the impact of fire retardants on dopamine, oxytocin, and vasopressin signaling and electrical function in vivo. Outside of the lab, she loves to spend time reading, writing, and fostering kittens.
Email: klinder@ufl.edu
Benjamin Melluso (He/Him), 1st year graduate researcher
Benjamin is from Frederick, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2023. He joined the Sombers lab in the Fall of 2024 and is working on a research project characterizing and optimizing the electrochemistry aptamer-based biosensors. Outside of the lab, he enjoys coding, playing TTRPGs with friends, video games, art, and listening to music.
Email: benjaminmelluso@ufl.edu