Chris Risher (Associate Professor)
Dr. Risher was inspired to become a biology researcher after doing gel electrophoresis in his High School AP Biology class. He graduated with a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the Calhoun Honors College at Clemson University (South Carolina). He then went on to receive his Ph.D. from the first ever class in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the Medical College of Georgia (now Augusta University). While at MCG, he trained in the labs of Drs. Kristen Harris (foremost expert in serial section electron microscopy) and Sergei Kirov (in vivo 2-photon light microscopy disease modeling). Also during grad school, he met and married Dr. Louise Risher. For his postdoctoral work, Dr. Risher moved to the Research Triangle of North Carolina to work in the lab of Dr. Cagla Eroglu at Duke University. There, he received training in cellular and molecular biology, mouse genetics, and fluorescence immunohistochemistry in order to investigate the mechanisms underlying astrocyte-mediated synapse formation and maturation in the developing cortex.
After moving to West Virginia to start his faculty position at Marshall in March 2018, Dr. Risher now lives in Huntington with Louise (also a faculty member at Marshall) and their daughter Abigail. He is the recipient of a 2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. In 2023, he was presented with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the Graduate School of Augusta University.
Emily Akers
Emily Akers is from Barboursville, West Virginia. She is an undergraduate student majoring in Biology with minors in Chemistry, Pre-Professional Health Care Studies, and English. As member of Marshall’s BS/MD program, she will train to become a physician at Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine after finishing her undergraduate education. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crocheting, and spending time with friends and family. She joined Dr. Risher’s lab in Fall of 2023.
Jacob Hastings
Jacob is a Biology major at Marshall University and a student in the BS/MD program, which will lead into medical school at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. He’s from Barboursville, West Virginia, and he joined Dr. Risher’s lab in Spring 2025 after working with Dr. Michael Norton, with whom he gained experience with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. He’s especially interested in how simple cellular processes can give rise to larger functional systems, which has shaped his interest in neuroscience and research. Outside of school, he likes to stay active, spend time with friends, and sleep when he gets the chance.
