Steve Shea

Principal Investigator

Steve has been interested in neuroethology and animal communication since his undergraduate years at the University of Maryland.  He obtained his PhD in Neurobiology from the University of Chicago in 2004 where he used in vivo and in vitro neurophysiology and behavioral techniques to study cholinergic neuromodulation of song circuits in zebra finches in the laboratory of Dan Margoliash.  He then moved to Duke University where he performed postdoctoral work with Larry Katz and Rich Mooney. There he studied how natural odors are represented in the main olfactory bulb and how these representations are modulated by experience and noradrenaline.

Of course Steve buries marbles, what’s wrong with you? But it’s not like he’s a psycho about it. He only buries enough to get the job done.

 

Hoda Jaber Ansari

Hoda Jaber Ansari

Graduate Student

Hoda did her undergrad at Sarah Lawrence College where she studied music and psychology. Her curiosity for behavior and biology led her down the path of neuroscience, starting with a master’s in Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London where she studied negative affective biases in people with anxiety. Seeking a deeper understanding, she explored circuits and systems neuroscience at New York University’s laboratory under David Schneider. Currently, she focuses on maternal behavior in the Shea Lab, specifically deciphering the role of the Amygdala in pup retrieval behavior. In her free time, Hoda enjoys singing the blues, and is often walking around campus with a little canine companion.

Sadia Rahman

Sadia Rahman

Research Technician II

Sadia obtained B.S. in Biology at the City College of New York in 2020, studying DNA repair mechanisms in the immune system. She spent a summer at Albert Einstein College of Medicine working on mouse models of multiple sclerosis, inspiring an interest in neuroscience. She then obtained her M.S. in cell biology studying DNA repair in auditory cortico-thalamic circuits in Dr. Hysell Oviedo’s lab at the City College of New York. She joined the Shea lab in 2023 as a research technician.

Katherine Day

Katherine Day

Postdoctoral Fellow

Katie completed her A.S. in biology at Atlantic Cape Community College and her B.S. in biology at Stockton University in New Jersey. A lifelong interest in animal behavior and development led her to complete an internship at the Cape May County Zoo, followed by an undergraduate research project in Dr. Nathaniel Hartman’s lab at Stockton University where she investigated mechanisms involved in the mTOR pathway of postnatal olfactory neurogenesis. After completing her B.S., Katie took a gap year and completed a research internship at the Dolphin Research Center (Grassy Key, FL) on bottlenose dolphin communication and cooperation. She joined Dr. Elizabeth Hammock’s lab at Florida State University in 2018 to complete her doctoral research on infant attachment and the importance of social touch in perinatal mice. In May 2023, she defended her dissertation “Examining oxytocin modulation of trigeminal sensory circuitry in neonatal mice” and moved to Queens, NY. Katie joined the Shea lab in 2023 to explore maternal attachment and is currently investigating the role of dopamine in the onset of maternal behavior. In her free time, Katie enjoys going to the beach, exploring New York City, and dancing.

Olive

Olive

In a lab where mice have long been the subjects of pup-retrieval studies, our four-legged colleague has embarked on a journey to revolutionize neuroscience with a wagging tail and a love for ball retrieval. Stay tuned our canine researcher takes center stage, challenging the conventional wisdom that mice are the only ones with a knack for retrieval.

 

Samantha Bowen

Samantha Bowen

Scientific Administrative Assistant

Samantha’s love for science led her to become a Scientific Administrator at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.