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:

Jimena Dominguez

Ph.D. Student in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology

B.SA. in Biology, Carleton College, 2022

Email: jdomi103@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

Post-Baccs:

Christian Tan

B.S. in Biology 2025

Ada Unal

B.S. in Biology 2023

Undergraduate Students:

Rebecca Chan

B.S. in Biology expected 2026

Ranee Chan

B.S. in Biology expected 2027

Aadi Dhide

B.S. in Neuroscience expected 2027

Wonders Eze

B.S. in Biology expected 2027

Aditi Kurup

B.S. in Neuroscience expected 2027

Ryan Lee

B.S. in Biology expected 2027

Maya Priestley

B.S. in Biology expected 2026

Katie Yin

B.S. in Cell, Molecular, and Developmental Biology expected 2027

Lab Pets:

Este and Teste

Rosy Boas

B.S. (Baby Snakes), 9/1/23

Epi, Dopi, Nora, and Sera

Rosy Boas

Born 9/1/23

Alumni:

Graduate Students

Dr. April Arquilla

Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2025

Current position: Visiting Assistant Professor, Augustana University

Dr. Melina Acosta

Ph.D. in Neuroscience, 2024

Current position: Postdoctoral Researcher, Univ. of California, Davis

Dr. Catherine Nguyen

Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2023

Current position: Postdoctoral Scholar, UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology

Dr. Nathan Horrell

Ph.D. in Neuroscience, 2019

Current position: Medical and Regulatory Writer, MedPace Clinical Research Organization

Dr. Meng (Gemma) Zhao

Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2018

Current position: Assistant Professor, Dept. of Animal Science, Univ. of California, Davis

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. 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. Breanna Harris

Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, 2012

Current position: Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University

Dr. Miyetani Chauke

Ph.D. in Neuroscience, 2011

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. 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

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

Recent Undergraduate Alumni

Phyu Khare (B.S. in Neuroscience expected 2026)

Kim Tran (B.S. in Bioloy 2025)

Isaac Lee (B.S in Biology 2024)

Ilisa Patel (B.S. in Biology 2023)

Pari Asif (B.S. in Biochemistry and Cell, Molecular & Devel. Biol. 2023)

Nabeel Shaikh (B.S. in BIology 2023)

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