Brad Hubbard, PhD

Position: Assistant Professor 

Bio: Dr. Brad Hubbard is currently an assistant professor in the UK Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center and the UK College of Medicine Department of Physiology and a research physiologist in the Lexington VA Healthcare System. He is an alum of UNC-Chapel Hill (2012) and Virginia Tech (2016). He enjoys hiking, disc golf, and various racquet-based sports. He is blessed with his wonderful wife Alex, and three children, Ella, Rey, and Banner.

Alaa Alareidi

Position: Lab Technician / Lab Manager  

Bio: A New Jersey native, Alaa transferred from Rutgers University to UK in 2022 and subsequently graduated with a BS in Biological Sciences. Alaa intends on starting a Master’s program in Applied Statistics in the Fall of 2024. Aside from being a proud mother and wife she enjoys cooking, baking, and painting in her spare time. 

Gopal "Velu" Velmurugan, PhD

Position: Research Scientist 

Bio: Gopal V. Velmurugan, PhD is a research scientist in the Hubbard lab in the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center.

Shaojing Ye, PhD

Position: Scientist 

Bio: Shaojing Ye, a scientist in the Hubbard lab with a passion for research. She graduated from University of Kentucky with a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry. She believes in kindness and peace, loves nature, and enjoys hiking and gardening. 

Sushant Prajapati 

Position: Graduate Student 

Bio: currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Hubbard lab, earned his Bachelor of Technology degree in Biotechnology from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India. Alongside his academic pursuits, Sushant has a strong inclination towards the arts, always keeping a pencil and a blank sheet of paper on his table. Beyond his scholarly endeavors, he finds joy in writing, cooking, swimming, photography, and athletics. Additionally, he holds a deep commitment to values such as peace, empathy, and togetherness.

Cortney Laye

Position: Graduate Student 

Bio: Cortney is a first year PhD graduate student in the Intergrated Biomedical Sciences program.

Madison Kilgore

Position: Graduate Student

Bio: Madison is in the MD/PhD program, starting her PhD in Summer 2025. 

Nathan Eapen

Position: Postbaccalaureate Research Assistant

Bio: Nathan is a post-bac student in the Hubbard Lab. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology, Health & Society with minors in Human Development & Business from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Nathan is a veteran of the United States Army where he served as Indirect Fire Infantryman and completed two rotations in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. In his free time, he enjoys running, lifting weights, reading and cooking.

Jaycie Gard

Position: Undergraduate Research Student 

Bio: Jaycie is an undergraduate student in the Hubbard lab majoring in neuroscience and minoring in pharmacology on the pre-med track. She enjoys running, going to football games, and singing in the UK treble choir.

Caleb Hunley

Position: Undergraduate Research Student

Bio: Caleb is an undergraduate student majoring in Biomedical Engineering

Emily Brown

Emily is now an Adjunct Professor at the University of the Cumberlands

Frances Meredith

Frances is now a Lab Technician for the Sullivan Lab. 

Cherokee Scruggs

 Cherokee is currently enrolled in an MRI Tech Certification Program. 

Sarah Tran

Sarah is now pursuing a degree with the UK Medical School. 

Hannah Miller 

Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology major and Honors Program