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Stacey S

- Research Program Mentor

PhD at University of California Davis (UCD)

Expertise

Neuroscience, Cognition, Visual processing, Comparative biology

Bio

Hi! I'm a currently a Sr. Research Scientist at a SF bay area start up company. Prior to this, I was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California Davis, where I completed my PhD. As a neuroscientist, I’m interested in how the brain works and why. Like many others, I love making new discoveries and the possibility to improve people’s everyday lives is exciting - from how the brain works in a normal healthy state to the pathophysiology of many neurological diseases and disorders. My research focuses on how our brains are able to filter out relevant information from our environments in order to complete our behavioral goals. By better understanding processes like these and their influence on sensory areas, we can further elucidate mechanisms underlying more complex cognitive functions such as learning, attention, and working memory. Outside of the laboratory, I am a big outdoor enthusiast. I love being in nature and exploring new places - I go hiking, camping, and rock climbing weekly. I also love animals and totally geek out on cool critters (including bugs)! I even work as a volunteer at the Sacramento Zoo

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.

The neuroscience of Eye Spy

How does the brain find what we are looking for? We live in a very noisy and complex environment, where things are constantly distracting us and competing for our attention. How do we make sense of all of this? It’s remarkable that our brain is able to process all this information (by filtering out irrelevant information and focusing on relevant pieces) in a meaningful and productive way. This is similar to the game Eye Spy. In this project, you will learn about brain anatomy, vision, visual and cognitive processing, behavior, and neurological diseases and disorders.

Have you heard of this _____ animal??

Have you ever heard of the following animals: Pangolin, Naked Mole Rat, Galago, Platypus, Okapi, etc? If you love animals and want dive deeper into learning more about them exploring their unique adaptations and behavior- lets do it! This project will focus on learning more about un-common critter(s) - could be from the list above or your choice. We will look at anatomy, comparative anatomy, behavior, and functional specializations. The focus will be on how all these relate back to the brain.

The rhythms of our brain

How does our brain communicate? How does this process happen across different time scales, distance, and in specific regions. In this project you will learn about how neurons communicate, what neural oscillations are, the function and significance of brain networks, and neurological diseases and disorders.

Coding skills

MatLab

Teaching experience

-Teaching Assistant for Physiology Foundations (undergraduate course; 2017), Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, at UC Davis. -Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Biological Sciences (non-major undergraduate course; 2010-12), Department of Biological Sciences, at DePaul University. -I have mentored and trained numerous undergraduates in research labs. -I was a mentor in the UC Davis Graduate Academic Achievement and Advocacy Program.

Credentials

Work experience

Iota Biosciences (2022 - Current)
Sr. Preclinical Research Scientist

Education

DePaul University
BS Bachelor of Science (2012)
Biological Sciences - Neuroscience
University of California Davis (UCD)
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2021)
Neuroscience

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