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Christine C

- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of California Irvine (UCI)

Expertise

Computational Biology, Neuroscience, Psychology, Aging

Bio

Dr. Christine Charvet is fascinated by how brains grow and age in different species. Trained in neuroscience at UCLA and UC Irvine with postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School and Cornell University, she has built a research program that merges genetics, neuroimaging, and comparative biology. Her team created an online resource called Translating Time (www.translatingtime.org), which is a widely used resource that maps equivalent developmental stages across humans and model organisms. Christine grew up in France and in Ireland. There, she started and grew her passion for studying the biology of animals. Outside the lab, Christine also has a strong interest in biodiversity.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Translating Time in dogs

Have you ever wondered how old your dog is in human years? It's not by multiplying a pet's age by 7 that you will get the human equivalent! We are collecting data from health metrics to equate ages across humans and dogs. By joining the project, you will learn how to compare the biology of species, how to collect data to answer a question, and you will develop quantitaive skills with the programming language R to find the answer.

Coding skills

R programming

Languages I know

French intermediate

Teaching experience

I have 20 years of experience mentoring students at different levels and disciplines. I have mentored children (as part of an outreach program), a high school student, multiple undergraduate students, PhD students, veterinary (i.e., DVM) students, DVM/PhD students, and postdoctoral associates. I have 7 years of experience as a faculty member mentoring students as part of my laboratory.

Credentials

Work experience

Cornell University (2010 - 2017)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Harvard Medical School (2014 - 2015)
Postdoctoral Associate

Education

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
BA Bachelor of Arts (2005)
Psychology
University of California Irvine (UCI)
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2010)
Behavioral Neuroscience

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