Sonja Stiebahl

Visting PhD Student

sis30@cam.ac.uk

Sonja was born and raised in Germany and moved to England for university in 2016. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford in 2019 and undertook research internships relating to topics ranging from learning theory to cellular mechanisms in neurodegeneration. In 2020, Sonja completed her MPhil in Basic and Translational Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge where she is currently a PhD student in Professor David Belin’s lab. Her work mainly focuses on the plasticity of amygdala neurons in substance use disorders, which she investigates using behavioural rat models of cocaine addiction. She uses whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology and molecular biology methods to elucidate these mechanisms.

Scholarships and Awards

2021-2022

UKRI/MITACS UK-Canada Doctoral Research Exchange Scheme ($7,500)

2020-2024

Gates Cambridge PhD Scholarship (£99,500)

2020-2024

Medical Research Council PhD Scholarship (£71,600)

2018

Johns Hopkins University Summer Research Fellowship ($3,050)

2017-2020

German Academic Scholarship Foundation ($76,500)