Joseph Cheer, PhD.

Principal Investigator

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Joe’s  main interests lie in the elucidation of the neurobiological effects of cannabinoids in both natural and drug-induced reinforcement. Joe graduated from Universidad de los Andes (Bogota, Colombia) with a B.S in Biology in 1996. He joined the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Experimental Microsurgery at the Colombian Neurology Foundation where he worked for 1 year investigating CNS regeneration using oncogene-tranfected cells and sciatic nerve co-grafts in motor cortex-lesioned animals. Joe received his Ph.D from the University of Nottingham (Neuroscience Section of the School of Biomedical Sciences) under the direction of Profs Charles Marsden and Dave Kendall and Dr Rob Mason. Joe’s graduate research focused on the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of cannabinoids. Joe’s first postdoc (2000-2002) was spent in Sam Deadwyler’s laboratory (Wake Forest University School of Medicine) where he conducted research on multiple single-unit electrophysiology in freely moving organisms. Joe joined Mark Wightman’s lab as a post doc in fall 2002 at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). There, he established the use of a microelectrode that allows for the simultaneous measurement of single-unit activity and dopamine release via fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. Joe is currently a tenured professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he directs undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral projects related to several neurophysiological and neurochemical aspects of endogenous cannabinoid signaling in intact systems. In his spare time Joe likes to enjoy the outdoors with his two daughters, his wife and his rescue dog, Rusty.

Iness Gildish, M.S.

Laboratory Manager

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Neurobiology and psychology became Inna’s main interest during high school and she knew she wanted to be a researcher in this area. Inna earned her B.S in Molecular Bio-Chemistry from Technion, Haifa, Israel in 2008. During her studies at the Technion she met prof. Kobi Rosenblum whose research in taste learning and memory mechanism dazzled her so she decided to continue her education in his lab. A year later she joined prof. Kobi Rosenblum’s lab in Haifa University as a M.S. student. During this time she worked with transgenic mice to determine how regulation of translation elongation involved in taste memory formation and its consolidation. By using behavioral, molecular, and imaging techniques, she was able to make progress in understanding the relationship between regulation of protein synthesis during memory consolidation and behavioral output. Inna joined the Cheer Lab in December 2011 to learn about electrochemical and neurophysiological recordings in behaving animals, and to better understand the endocannabinoid system. Inna’s future goals are to complete a Ph.D. in neuroscience. In her spare time she enjoys reading, watching movies, photography and traveling.

Antonio Figueiredo, PhD.

Postdoctoral fellow

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Antonio graduated in 2016 from the University at Buffalo with a B.S. in Biological Sciences (concentrations in Neuroscience and Cellular & Molecular Biology) and a B.A. in Chemistry. To further his research experience, he joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s STAR-PREP program, working in Dr. Joseph Cheer’s laboratory in 2018. He completed his Ph.D. in 2025 under Dr. Cheer’s mentorship, examining the role of cannabinoid type 1 receptors on septohippocampal cholinergic projections in regulating reward-seeking.

Antonio is currently a postdoctoral fellow continuing to investigate cholinergic-endocannabinoid interactions in decision-making and motivated behavior. He is interested in combining computational modeling with in vivo photometry and/or electrophysiology to link neural and neurotransmitter activity to behavior. Outside of the lab, Antonio is often traveling, enjoying the outdoors, or spending time with his dog Cleo.

Daniela Franco, PhD.

Postdoctoral fellow

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Daniela received her B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Psychological Research from California State University, Long Beach. Under the mentorship of Dr. Arturo Zavala, her thesis focused on the potential long-lasting consequences of drug exposure in an animal model of adolescence.

Carlos Medina Saldivar, MSc.

Graduate student

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Carlos graduated in 2014 from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos with a B.S. in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biochemistry. He then joined the laboratory of Dr Luis F Pacheco-Otálora at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia where he completed his MSc in Neurosciences. During this period, Carlos worked on chronic stress and epilepsy in murine models, with a budding interest for the endocannabinoid system.

In 2025, Carlos joined the Cheer lab at University of Maryland Baltimore as a PhD student where  he focuses on studying the relationship of norepinephrine and endocannabinoids in the neurobiology of attention.

In his spare time, Carlos likes to explore Baltimore on foot, to paint and listen to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Alejven E. Sarmiento

Undergraduate volunteer

Caleb Suo

Undergraduate volunteer