Mission statement

Our mission is to do the most, awesomest neuroscience we can,

at the highest levels of rigor and integrity,

in service of meaningful questions.

How do we accomplish this mission? In the parlance of science, this mission offers both challenge and opportunity.

The challenge is that requires learning and integrating existing literature on songbirds, plus the neurobiology of learning & memory and development across species. It means understanding genomic and molecular biology well enough to design, implement, troubleshoot, and interpret meaningful experiments. Neither the intellectual nor the manual efforts of creating this type of science is particularly easy, especially at the beginning.

Here’s the opportunity: through the process of earning your PhD/MA or working through an undergraduate thesis project, you will learn skills that set you up for success in whatever future pursuit you choose. Starting with the opportunity to pick a niche within developmental learning and memory that is of keen interest to you, you will learn how to effectively and independently synthesize information. You will be well-versed in project and time management. You will know how to successfully present your research via oral presentations and publications (with the bonus that this facilitates networking). All of this takes training, mentorship, and teamwork. I will work with you to develop these skills and achieve your goals.