Originally from the North East part of France, I grew up in a small town surrounded by nature. I've always been interested in animal behavior, biology and genetics. During my PhD with Michael Reber at the University of Strasbourg in France, I studied the development of visual maps in the mouse superior colliculus. This study triggered my interest in the superior colliculus and with this in mind, I decided to join Jianhua Cang's lab (JC) for a post-doc to investigate the physiology of this structure at Northwestern, then at the University of Virginia.  Since then, I've been working towards reconciling physiology with development and adaptation using a comparative approach in my own lab at the University of Michigan since 2023. 

Contact: esavier@med.umich.edu

Cormac studied psychology and music at Michigan State University before joining the Savier Lab. He is interested in exploring subcortical visual circuits as an approach for describing the interplay between action and perception. Outside the lab he enjoys spending time with his family, playing music, and reading 

Meghan is an undergraduate studying Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Her current research focuses on innervation of the extraocular muscles in mice and tree shrews. In her free time, she enjoys swimming laps, reading, and creative writing. 

Nicholas received his BS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan, where he became fascinated by how the natural world emerges from chemical phenomena. Motivated by this, he pursued undergraduate research in Professor Robert Kennedy’s lab, differentiating sources of glutamate within the brain extracellular space using LC-MS/MS. He continued by investigating sex- and phenotype-dependent neurochemistry underlying addiction-related behaviors. Currently, Nicholas is interested in understanding the genetic and molecular foundations of the brain’s visual circuits. He plans to pursue a PhD focused on advancing neuroscience by leveraging the molecular dynamics of the brain.

Hi! My name is Josh and I'm a student in the Neuroscience Graduate Program here at UM. I studied neurobiology, behavior, and psychology at Cornell University. During my undergrad, I researched the neural circuitry underlying social behavior and vocal communication. I'm broadly interested in behavioral and systems neuroscience. More specifically, I'm interested in bioacoustics, the neural mechanisms involved in vocal communication and social behavior, and how sensory information mediates the decision to vocalize. In the Savier Lab, I'm studying the tree shrew vocal repertoire! Outside of neuroscience, I enjoy reading, exploring, mountain biking, rock climbing, paddle boarding, running, playing basketball, hiking and grilling. I love food and am always looking for new restaurants to try. I also love music (especially soul, jazz and R&B) and play the tenor saxophone in a local band. .