Our People

Dr. Eliza Bliss-Moreau
lab leadeR

Eliza (she/her) is a Chancellor’s Leadership Professor in the Department of Psychology and a Core Scientist at the California National Primate Research Center and Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of California, Davis. She completed her undergraduate (S.B. in biology and psychology) and graduate training (Ph.D. in psychology) at Boston College and postdoctoral training in nonhuman primate neuroscience, primatology, and systems science at UC Davis.  Prior to joining Psychology, she was a faculty member in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She is a member of the Psychology Graduate Group (which offers a Ph.D.), the Animal Behavior Graduate Group (which offers a Ph.D.), the Neuroscience Graduate Group (which offers a Ph.D.), and the Animal Biology Graduate Group (which offers a M.S. and a Ph.D).

CV
Twitter
Google Scholar

Alessandro Armitano, M.S.
Research Technician (Assistant Specialist)

Alessandro is passionate about uncovering the mechanisms of behavior and how these mechanisms have shaped the human condition over time. He holds a bachelor's degree in Psychobiology and a master's degree in Neuroscience from the University of Padua. Currently, he is conducting animal studies to gain insights from an evolutionary perspective. His research aims to expand his understanding of neural encoding, exploring its automatic and unconscious processes, and examining how this information translates into behavioral outputs.

Jeffery Bennett, B.A.
Brain Lab Leader (Specialist)

Jeff brings more than 20 years of experience in neuroanatomy, histology, imaging, and surgery to the lab. Jeff leads the neuroanatomy side of the lab which includes carrying out both histological and neuroimaging experiments. His current anatomical obsession is the claustrum.

Gilda Moadab, B.S.
Behavior Lab Leader; Lab MAnager (Associate Specialist)

Lab Manager. Right-hand man. Left-hand man. Assistant. Aide. She who gets hot water for tea. Reminder-in-chief. Muy importante. Interested in the evolution of psychological processes. 

Hannah Nguyen, B.S.
Research Technician (Staff Research Associate 2)

Hannah received her B.S. in Animal Sciences, with an emphasis in animal behavior, from UC Davis in 2021. Hannah previously worked as a lab manager at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience for two years, and is planning to expand her knowledge in non-human primate research in the lab. Hannah is interested in all things behavior, specifically how perception and cognition change over time. Hannah has worked with a handful of different animal species, non-human primates being her favorite. When not at work, you can find Hannah watching movies at home, or on the pickleball courts.

Ziqi Zhang, B.S., Psychology Ph.D. Student

Ziqi received her B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from UC San Diego in 2024. She is interested in the biopsychological aspects of aging and neurodegeneration, especially the anatomical structures involved in Alzheimer’s Disease. Aside from academics, she is a huge fan of Franz Liszt (especially Years of Pilgrimage) and does fan art in her spare time.