Principal investigator

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Throughout my scientific career, I have sought ways to study how behaviors important to the life history of an animal are adapted by experience.  As a master’s student with Dr. Peter Slater at the University of St. Andrews, I conducted fieldwork to quantitatively study the similarity of songs in a population of chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs) inhabiting a small chain of islands.  This research examined the interactions of geographic isolation upon song learning, and found that the acoustic structure of songs was learned on birth islands, while song sequencing was determined by the location of adult territories.  My master’s work motivated a more mechanistic approach for my doctoral thesis with Dr. Michael Brainard at the University of California, San Francisco.  I examined the relationship between motor neuron variability and variability in song structure.  As a postdoc with Dr. Cynthia Moss at Johns Hopkins University (and formerly at the University of Maryland), I extended my work on sensorimotor processing by examining the role of sensory feedback in audio-vocal integration in the echolocating bat.  I conducted both behavioral and neurophysiological studies in bats performing natural tasks to determine how sensory feedback in the form of sonar echoes is used to modify subsequent sonar vocalizations, as well as head and ear movements.   

I have over twenty-seven years of laboratory managerial experience working in different animal models using a variety of different techniques. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. After teaching mathematics and science to 7th-12th grades for 9 years, I began working in research at Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale. Later, I established transgenic cores for George Washington University, D.C. and Children’s National Medical Center, D.C. before joining the University of Arizona. I particularly enjoy all hands-on work with animals. I also love teaching all ages about biomedical research and hope my enthusiasm is catching!   

I am a graduate student in the GIDP Neuroscience program. I completed my Masters in Medical Physiology from Manipal University, India following which I worked with Dr. Supratim Ray at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India studying the brain rhythms underlying high-level cognitive tasks such as attention in non-human primates. I then moved to Washington, DC and worked with Dr. David Leopold at the National Institute of Mental Health studying social interactions in non-human primates in naturalistic paradigms. In the bat lab I am interested in studying behavior and understanding the circuit mechanisms that drive behavior during natural tasks. In addition to research, I am also interested in science communication, policy and advocacy.

Having recently graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Physics and a minor in Photography, I am now looking to expand my research background as I look forward to graduate school. The Batlab offers a unique opportunity to apply my quantitative knowledge and explore my research interests while getting to work alongside some brilliant scientists and amazing creatures. I’m excited to explore both Tucson and the University of Arizona but that might have to wait until things cool down. My interests include applied physics, engineering, photography, and the outdoors. 

I am currently a Junior here at the University of Arizona, double majoring in Neuroscience and Classical Civilizations with a minor in biochemistry. I aspire to become a Doctor and do something either with Anesthesiology or Neurology. I am originally from Oregon, so once it's not so hot out here I really enjoy doing things outdoors, and am a member of the Tucson Botanical Gardens and go regularly. In the lab, I am mostly interested in anatomy and am excited to explore the ways in which we can relate bats to other mammals, including ourselves.

I am a Junior at the University of Arizona majoring in Physiology with a minor in Spanish on the Pre-Med track. As an aspiring surgeon, anatomy has always been an interest of mine, especially the brain. I hope to use information gained in the lab and apply it to our understanding of our own brains and behaviors. Outside of the lab, I am a huge fan of the outdoors and enjoy going on new adventures. My favorite outdoor activities include hiking, mountain biking, and camping, but you can also find me snowboarding and playing disc golf when the weather is right!

Born and raised here in Tucson, I am currently an undergraduate student at the University of Arizona. I am majoring in Neuroscience and Cognition with an emphasis in computation in hopes to better understand the way the brain functions in relation to the information processing of a computer. I pursue a better understanding of the systemic function of all living organisms to eventually achieve a career in the development of prosthetics and innovate in the field by better shaping our perspective on neurological linking. When I'm not in the lab I am fueling my passion for cameras, computers, filmmaking and culinary arts. The lab is a way to propel me forward in the comprehension of neurological concepts by working hands on with bats to study the natural behavior of survival in relation to ourselves and all species. Within the science performed in the lab, I also strive to create lifelong connections for my future in neuroscience.

I am an undergraduate student here at the University of Arizona majoring in Physiology and Medical Sciences, hoping to become a physician in my future. Physiology took a hard grasp on my heart and I’m so amazed at all the things our bodies can do. I have had an interest in the brain since taking an anatomy class in high school, so I was ecstatic to find the Batlab on campus to focus on the connections between the brain and behavior. Outside of the lab, I enjoy caring for plants and my multitude of pets at home, as well as exploring new foods.

 I'm a PreMed majoring in Neuroscience, Math (B.S.), and World Literature with minors in Biochemistry, Math (B.A.), and Spanish. As I had worked extensively on an ADHD project during high school, the Batlab naturally appealed to me in researching attention with scientific rigor with the added bonus of bats! Hence my desires with the Batlab are to explore how research is done, the nature of attention in bats, as well as how to apply what I'll learn to ADHD in the future, with some added hopes such as potentially tying math and programming into modeling bats. I look forward to working in the bat lab during my time at UofA and getting to know our little friends, and when I'm not indulging in my passion to learn anything and everything, you could catch me volunteering, at the rec, getting Thai Tea boba, and the like. 

 I am an undergraduate student here at the University of Arizona, majoring in Physiology and Medical Sciences on the pre-medical track. I hope to become a physician in the future and am interested in pursuing pediatric emergency medicine. I am originally from Oregon so when I have free time I love spending time outside, soaking up the Arizona sun. I also enjoy working out and staying active in any way I can. I joined this lab because of my interests in the function of the brain and the ability to be hands-on in exploring data that can be applied to neurological disorders such as ADHD and autism found in humans.

I'm an undergraduate at the University of Arizona majoring in Computer Science with an interest in Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence further down the road. I joined this lab with the intention of experiencing first-hand how my field of study is being applied to extract and parse information that will be beneficial to the project in the long run. I aim to contribute to this lab by advancing the technological capabilities of bat lab to the best of my abilities. Even besides that, working with animals and observing their behaviors is something that I have never done before, and the bat lab offers plenty of opportunities for me to explore such fresh paths of research which excites me! In my free time, you can find me at the gym, playing soccer with my mates, exploring the wilderness, or just watching some cool movies/tv shows. 

Cheers!

I am an undergraduate at the University of Arizona, and I am majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB). My goal is to become a physician, preferably something having to do with the brain. I have interests in neuroscience as my father does work relating to the brain, so I have grown up surrounded by neuroscience, and this is a great segway for me to start learning about the brain and further my knowledge about science and anatomy. Aside from academics, I enjoy playing hockey, working out, and traveling!