Dr. Jill Turner
Dr. Jill Turner has investigated nicotinic receptors since 2002, as a graduate student with Dr. Kenneth Kellar at Georgetown University. After graduating, Jill continued her training as a post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Julie Blendy at the University of Pennsylvania. Her main interest lies in how nicotinic receptors can both help and hinder brain function. In addition to science, Jill enjoys books and traveling with her family.
Lab Members
Jack Keady, Post Doctoral Scholar
Jack Keady is originally from St. Louis Missouri. He received his PhD from the University of Kentucky in 2025. He currently works as a post-doctoral scholar, where his research is focused on understanding how chronic drug (nicotine and opioid) exposure and withdrawal reshape brain function at the cellular and molecular levels. His work integrates preclinical transcriptomics data with electronic health records in order to identify novel therapeutic targets for smoking cessation and opioid use disorder.
Jocelyn Martin, Graduate Student
Jocelyn received both her B.S. in Neuroscience and B.S. in Psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2024, also minoring in Pharmacology. She is now a graduate student pursuing her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy. In her transient moments of free time, she likes to practice yoga, cook, and play with her two cats.
Marissa Hessing, Sr.Laboratory Technician/Manager
Marissa received her bachelors in Animal Science at Morehead State University in 2016. Since then she has worked in animal facilities and other agricultural jobs. She’s currently our lab manager. She assist in surgeries, protocols and has many side projects of her own. She’s a helping hand to all of our graduate students and post docs. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family. She also loves reading books, hiking and going on bike rides with her wild boys.
