Lucas Encarnacion-Rivera

Lucas is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience and NSF GRFP fellow. His thesis aims to probe how the brain generates evolutionarily ancient motivational drives such as hunger and thirst, and describe how such drives effectuate behavior. To this end, Lucas is deploying electrophysiological, genetic, and optogenetic tools to read and interrogate the brain in freely behaving animals. Lucas holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Emory University and received additional training at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute and the University of Pennsylvania. Outside of science Lucas enjoys powerlifting, reading, and playing drums