Ariella Zulch

Ariella Zulch received her B.A. in Neuroscience from Reed College in 2023, where she conducted independent research on the effects of hormonal birth control on anxiety-like behavior and hippocampal neurogenesis. In 2025, she joined the Goard and Alexander Labs as a graduate student in the Neuroscience and Behavior area of the Psychological and Brain Sciences program at UC Santa Barbara. Ariella studies endogenous and exogenous hormone-mediated plasticity of hippocampal morphology and spatial navigation across the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and beyond, driven by her commitment to understanding and improving women’s brain health. Outside the lab, Ariella can be found at the beach, painting, or dye-ing clothes with materials from her backyard.