SOPHIE CARON, principal investigator
sophie.caron@utah.edu
1.801.585.0848
B.Sc. Université de Montréal
Ph.D. New York University
Post-doctoral training Columbia University
Sophie grew up in Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu, a small village in Québec, Canada. She studied biochemistry at the Université de Montréal and moved to New York City to pursue her graduate studies. There, she joined the laboratory of Alex Schier, first at New York University, later, at Harvard University. During her thesis, Sophie studied the developmental mechanisms behind the diversification of sensory neurons in zebrafish. For her post-doc, Sophie returned to her beloved New York, to the laboratory of Richard Axel at Columbia University. Ever since, she has been studying how the fly brain uses and stores sensory information. As of fall 2017, Sophie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Utah.
MILES JACOB, lab manager m.jacob@utah.edu
I began my time as an undergraduate at the University of Utah in 2018 and joined as a member of the Caron Lab in the spring of 2019. During my time in the lab, I have had the opportunity to work on projects that characterized a novel group of neurons in the Drosophila brain and quantified different features of Kenyon cells through image analysis. Currently, I am focusing on using a behavioral assay to study if different odors are more learnable for Drosophila than others. I hope to gain a better understanding of why some behaviors are learned versus innate. Outside of the lab, I enjoy discovering new music and hiking around Utah. Fun Fact: I am a dual citizen!
SVEN BERVOETS, postdoctoral researcher sven.bervoets@neuro.utah.edu. twitter: @BarefeetSven
PhD University of Antwerp, 2019
I received my PhD in Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, under the mentorship of Dr. Albena Jordanova. During this time, I studied the role of a cytoplasmic tRNA synthetase and its surprising nuclear role in Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathology. I used Drosophila melanogaster to show that both genetic and pharmacological exclusion of the mutant TyrRS protein prevents the disease phenotypes. Now, I pursue my postdoctoral research in the Caron lab, where I focus on the role of dArc in memory and learning. I use Drosophila melanogaster to study such behaviours and the properties of the dArc1 protein in cell signalling. On the side, I hope to develop some behavioural assays that could further help the lab. Coming from the flat lands of Belgium, I thoroughly enjoy the outdoors that Utah provides. In the weekend you can find me hiking the many trails looking for waterfalls, wildlife, summits, and flowers (the last one is mainly to convince my partner to come along). Alternatively, I love training for my next long distance run. Fun fact: after first being introduced to cornhole in the States, I’m still unbeaten.
KAITLYN ELLIS, graduate student
kaitlyn.ellis@utah.edu
B.Sc. Reinhardt University, 2013
Kaitlyn graduated from Reinhardt University after completing a major in Biology. Kaitlyn is interested in adapting neuronal tracing techniques to different Drosophila species. Kaitlyn wants to use these techniques to understand how connections in the brain, and in particular in the mushroom body, change as species evolve in new ecological niches. Kaitlyn is an avid hiker and a fearless rock climber. Interesting fact: Kaitlyn has visited the Galapagos Islands. Lucky her.
ALEX MACKENZIE, Graduate Student in the Neuroscience Program alex.mackenzie@utah.edu
B.Sc. University of Michigan, 2015
“Hailing” from Michigan, I graduated from the University of Michigan with a major in Biology where I studied GPCR signaling in Richard Neubig’s lab and energy homeostasis in Martin Myer’s lab. I went on to work as a technician in Dr. Myer’s lab for several years before pursuing a graduate degree here at the University of Utah where I seek to understand the principles behind sensory information processing in the mushroom body. When I’m not playing with flies I’m playing my guitar, walking up a mountain, or watching a Nicolas Cage movie.
TATSUYA HAYASHI, Graduate Student in Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program. t.hayashi@utah.edu
B.A. International Christian University, 2016; M.A. City University of New York - Hunter College, 2018
Born and raised in Japan, I majored in Psychology at International Christian University, studying the relationship between self-compassion and anger management. After graduating, I moved to City University of New York to study vocal learning propensity of juvenile songbirds. Then I moved to Utah to study the circuit basis of learning capability using Drosophila olfactory circuit as a model in the Caron Lab. In the free time, I am usually meditating or sleeping. Fun fact: I can juggle 3 balls. Now I am practicing Rubenstein's Revenge, a juggling pattern for intermediates.
AMERIS APONTE-PIZARRO, Graduate Student in Molecular, Cellular, and Evolutionary Biology Program ameris.aponte@utah.edu
B.Sc. University of Puerto Rico, 2020
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, I graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus, where I majored in Molecular Biology and minored in Medical Humanities. As an undergrad, I assisted in metabolomic research on neuroblastomas, and I underwent a summer internship in the American Museum of Natural History where I metagenomically assembled bacteria lurking in protist cell cultures. Now as a graduate student, I am interested in discovering more about D. pseudoobscura and its encephalization. I enjoy playing beach volleyball and hiking with a camera in hand. Fun Fact: I like to crochet, and my favorite comfort food is stuffed mofongo.
ANDREW BUTTS, Graduate Student in Molecular Biology Program andrewb@utah.edu
B.Sc. University of New Hampshire, 2017
Originally from Massachusetts, I graduated from the University of New Hampshire where I majored in Biology and studied predator induced morphologies in Axolotl salamanders. Upon graduating, I moved to Utah and worked as a lab technician researching the genetic mechanisms of alcohol use disorder. Now as a graduate student in the Caron Lab I am developing behavioral assays to monitor sleep and wake behavior in Drosophila. I want to understand the neurobiology that drives homeostatic sleep behavior. Outside of the lab, I am usually rock climbing somewhere in Utah or snowboarding in the winter months. Fun Fact: I have four pets! Two dogs and two cats.
SAMUEL LINDE, Graduate Student in Molecular, Cellular & Evolutionary Biology samuel.linde@utah.edu
B.A. Wesleyan University, 2020
Originally from Massachusetts, I graduated from Wesleyan University where I double majored in Biology and Computer Science and studied transcription factor-target relationships in yeast. Now as a graduate student in the Caron Lab I am investigating developmental differences between Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila pseudoobscura and want to understand what drives the difference in brain size between the species. Outside of the lab, you can find me backpacking with my dog, rock climbing or skiing. Fun Fact: I have spent over 400 hours whale watching at sea in the Gulf of Maine and my favorite whale’s name is Jabiru!
EVA VIGATO, Graduate Student in Molecular Biology Program eva.vigato@utah.edu
B.Sc. University of Osijek, 2015 M.Sc. University of Zagreb, 2017
I grew up on the coast of Croatia. I graduated in Experimental Biology from the University of Zagreb, where I studied the role of the serotonin transporter in post-traumatic stress disorder. After graduation, I moved to Utah as a research technician to study opioid addiction. As a graduate student in the Caron lab, I am studying the genetic and circuit basis of olfactory attraction in different species of Drosophila. In my free time, I like hiking and playing the piano. Fun fact: As a kid, I developed many techniques for catching fish in the sea. Those skills turned out not to be so useful in Utah.
BRENNAN MAHONEY, Lab Technician Brennan.Mahoney@utah.edu
H.B.Sc. University of Utah, 2020
I was born and raised in the Salt Lake Valley and grew up dreaming of aending the University of Utah. I enrolled in the U of U Honors College in 2016 and joined the Caron Lab in the winter of 2018 as an undergrad. In the spring of 2020, I completed my senior thesis, tled Characterizing Mulsensory Neural Circuitry in Drosophila. Later that summer, I was fortunate enough to be offered a posion as a lab technician in the lab, where I am currently working on characterizing the expression paern of dArc protein in the Drosophila brain. Outside of the lab, I enjoy playing (piano, guitar, or trumpet) and listening to music (I can appreciate almost any type but am definitely a Dead Head and Bass Head first). I also enjoy cooking, Utah football, being outdoors, and spending me with my fiancée and cats -- she took this pic by the way, look at how talented she is! Fun fact: I once won a free TV in a school drawing, which almost immediately broke. Womp womp.
DUA AZHAR, Undergraduate Student in Physics. duazhar02@gmail.com
Born and raised here in Utah, I wanted to stay and pursue my science endeavors at the University of Utah. During my first year, I was a part of the ACCESS 2020 cohort and my lab placement was at the Caron Lab, in which I decided to stay and continue my research on the comparison of sensory neuron population between Drosophila species. I want to learn how the different brain-to-body size ratios of each species can affect the amount of neurons a species can have, and how that could potentially affect behavioral capacities. Upon graduation, I hope to pursue a degree in medicine, while expanding research in neurophysics. When I’m not at lab or in classes, I help make student films, do photography, and crochet. Fun Fact: I am a huge Marvel fan and love Christopher Nolan movies.