Lara Rangel

2026 URH Faculty Mentor Award Recipient

Please tell us a bit about your educational background and current research.

I received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University in 2006 and a Ph.D. in Neurosciences from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2012. I conducted my postdoctoral work in the Cognitive Rhythms Collaborative, based at Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I investigated the rhythmic coordination of neural spiking activity in the rodent hippocampus. In 2015, I became a UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UCSD, and began investigating the relationship between local circuit level processes in the brain and extracranially measured brain rhythms. My laboratory studies rhythmic patterns of activity that arise in networks of interacting neurons. When neurons interact in a repeated and stereotyped manner, rhythmic temporal constraints are placed upon their ability to receive and send information, which dramatically and predictably influences their ability to transform information. My laboratory aims to uncover the rhythmic subcircuit interactions that give rise to specific information transform abilities. This direction of research entails a thorough characterization of cell-type specific engagement in local and cross-regional neural rhythms, and statistical modeling of their dynamic engagement across changing behavioral states. In this manner, we aim to identify the range of network interactions that support different behavioral demands.

Did you do research as an undergraduate student? How did you get started in your current field?

Yes! I applied six times to work with one person, who finally said yes.

Who are some of your most memorable mentors? How did you meet them?

I met my early mentors in very traditional ways: classes, websites, and matching programs. They have very different personalities, but all are very brave visionaries. Most of them have a great sense of humor.

Why do you enjoy being a mentor?

I love to help others achieve their goals, whatever those goals may be. I also love to witness and celebrate resilience and growth.

What is the most useful piece of advice a mentor gave you?

Over the years, many have told me to "just be myself." When I am preparing for something momentous or stepping into a new role, I remind myself of this over and over.