People
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Wendy Saltzman
Professor of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology
B.A. in Animal Physiology, University of California, San Diego, 1985
Ph.D. in Animal Behavior, University of California, Davis, 1991
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1991-1996
Assistant Scientist, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 1996-2001
Email: saltzman@ucr.edu
Phone: (951) 827-6356
Postdoctoral Researcher:
Dr. Katrina Deane
Postdoctoral Researcher
B.S. in Psychology, Michigan Tech University, 2014
M.Sc. in Integrative Neuroscience, Otto von Guericke Univ., Germany, 2018
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Leibniz Inst. for Neurobiology, Germany 2023
Email: katrinad@ucr.edu
My research is at the mesoscopic scale of the auditory cortex: populations of excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons working collectively, a nested complex adaptive system, to process and respond to the sound of the world around us. Specifically, I am interested in 1. bat auditory sensory processing questions because bats are veritable auditory experts due to echolocation and rich social communication, and 2. comparative auditory neuroethology between bats, California mice, C57 mice, and other small mammals to understand how ecological niches contribute to divergent auditory mechanisms from shared neural circuitry and architecture.
Graduate Students:
April Arquilla
Ph.D. Candidate in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology
B.S. in Biology, The College of Wooster, 2017
My current research interests involve looking at how fatherhood status affects how male California mice respond to auditory and chemosensory cues from pups, and how these cues stimulate neural responses in the males' brain. Further, I hope to look into how steroid hormones such as testosterone modulate these behaviors and responses in fathers' brains.
Email: aarqu001@ucr.edu
Joseph Guenther
Ph.D. Student in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology
B.S. in Biology, University of California, Riverside, 2023
Email: jguen003@ucr.edu
Ian Warren
Ph.D. Student in Neuroscience
B.A. in Psychology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, 2020
M.A. in Psychology, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, 2023
Email: iwarr004@ucr.edu
Trevor Zimmerman-Thompson
Ph.D. Student in Neuroscience
B.A. in Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, 2021
I am researching plasticity of the sensory systems that occurs when transitioning to fatherhood in male California mice. Specifically, I am looking a the multisensory integration of the olfactory and auditory systems.
Email: tzimm002@ucr.edu
Recent Graduates:
Pari Asif
B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell, Molecular & Devel. Biology 2023
Ilisa Patel
B.S. in Neuroscience 2023
Isaac Lee
B.S. in Biology 2024
Nabeel Shaikh
B.S. in Biology 2023
Ada Unal
B.S. in Biology 2023
Undergraduate Students:
Rebecca Chan
B.S. in Biology expected 2026
Sonika Khare
B.S. in Neuroscience expected 2026
Ryan Lee
B.S. in Biology expected 2027
Maya Priestley
B.S. in Biology expected 2026
Christian Tan
B.S. in Biology expected 2025
Kim Tran
B.S. in Biology expected 2025
Lab Pets:
Este and Teste
Rosy Boas
B.S. (Baby Snakes), 9/1/23
Epi, Dopey, Nora, and Sara
Rosy Boas
Born 9/1/23
Alumni:
Graduate Students
Dr. Catherine Nguyen
Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2023
Current position: Lecturer, EEOB Dept., UCR
Dr. Melina Acosta
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, 2024
Dr. Meng (Gemma) Zhao
Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2018
Current position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Dept. of Pathology, Stanford University
Dr. Nathan Horrell
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, 2019
Current position: Medical and Regulatory Writer, MedPace Clinical Research Organization
Dr. Juan Pablo Perea-Rodriguez
Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2016
Current position: Research Engineer in Animal Welfare, AKONGO Wildlife Connection, Paris, France
Dr. Jacob Andrew
Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2018
Current position: Staff Research Associate, Moores Cancer Research Center, UC San Diego
Dr. Miyetani Chauke
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, 2011
Dr. Breanna Harris
Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2012
Current position: Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Keri Wilson
Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UC Irvine, 2019
Postdoctoral researcher in Saltzman lab, 2020-2023
Current position: Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biology, Pomona College
Dr. Trynke de Jong
Ph.D. in Psychopharmacology, 2005, University of Utrecht
Postdoctoral researcher in Saltzman lab, 2008-2011
Current position: Project Manager, Lifelines, Groningen, The Netherlands
Dr. Kristine Kaiser
Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 2010, UCLA
Postdoctoral researcher in Saltzman lab, 2010-2013
Current positions:
CEO/CSO, Noise Engineering; Research Associate, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County; Adjunct Faculty Member, Dept. of Biology, Calif. State Univ. at Northridge