Rudy Behnia

Principal Investigator

Dr. Rudy Behnia did her undergraduate at Ecole Normal Supérieure in Paris (France). She obtained her Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Cambridge University (UK). She then joined the laboratory of Dr. Claude Desplan at New York University for her post-doctoral training. In 2015, Dr. Behnia was hired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University. She is a member of the Zuckerman Mind, Brain, Behavior Institute as well as the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.

 POSTDOCS

Postdoctoral Researcher

Alvaro has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Complutense University, Madrid – a Master’s degree in Neuroscience from Pierre et Marie Curie University, Paris. He obtained his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Strasbourg University (France) in 2017. In the Behnia Lab, he is studying the physiology of color vision pathways in the Drosophila brain. He also likes art, exploring new places/cultures and growing all kind of plants!

Sachira Denagamage

Postdoctoral Researcher

Sachira has a B.S. in Biology from the Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University for his work on peri-saccadic modulation of cortical circuits. In the Behnia lab, he studies the circuit mechanisms underlying sensorimotor transformation and integration in Drosophila. Sachira also enjoys reading, listening to music, and exploring the city.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Andrew Po Fung Liu

Graduate Student

Physics Program

Andrew holds a B.A. in Astrophysics and Economics from Columbia University in 2016 and is currently pursuing a PhD in Physics. He is interested in understanding the circuit mechanisms behind multisensory learning in Drosophila. Outside of lab, Andrew likes to read Albert Camus, hike in Catskills and play Bach on the violin (not all at the same time).

Sharon Su

Graduate Student

Neurobiology and Behavior Doctoral Program

Sharon is interested in understanding the role spectral information plays in Drosophila navigation and its underlying computations. They received a B.S. in Computational Neuroscience from UC Santa Barbara. Outside of lab, they enjoy writing music, playing the bass, and building analog synthesizers.

Ishani Ganguly

Graduate Student

Neurobiology and Behavior Doctoral Program

Ishani graduated from Caltech with a degree in Computation and Neural Systems and is now pursuing a PhD in the Behnia and Litwin-Kumar labs. She is interested in building computational models to understand multisensory learning in the Drosophila mushroom body. When she’s not working on her research, Ishani can be found listening to new music and podcasts, catching up with friends, or exploring local restaurants, museums, and coffee shops.

Rachel estrella

Graduate Student

Neurobiology and Behavior Doctoral Program

Rachel graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Duke University. She is interested in investigating the role of color in circadian entrainment in Drosophila. Outside of lab, Rachel likes to thrift shop, try new food, and explore NYC.

Staff associate

Valentin Maurice Dalstein

Engineer

Valentin graduated from University of Toronto and CentraleSupelec in France. He studied Biomedical Engineering at University of Toronto for a year before moving to Boston for another year for his internship, where he worked at Axoft, a start-up building Brain Computer Interfaces. At Behnia lab. Valentin will provide support to the team by creating, coding and building the tools they need to conduct their research. Outside of lab, he loves to climb, play handball. His favorite meal is risotto and he hates losing at Catan. His happy place is the mountains where he always went for summer vacation.

Atsuko Adachi

Senior Staff Associate

Atsuko received a B.S and an M.S in Biochemistry and Biophysics from University of Tokyo, She previously was Research Specialist for Struhl lab at Columbia Univ. and for Steller and Maimon labs at the Rockefeller Univ., where she contributed with Drosophila microinjection, genetics and confocal microscopy. She joined Behnia lab as well as Mann lab in 2021 and is currently interested in studying anatomical connection of neurons with EM data. She loves ballet since infant.

RESEARCH TECHNICIAN


Gabriel Yancy

Research Staff Assistant

Gabriel Yancy received a B.S. in Natural Sciences with a concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2022 from Fordham University. As a new addition to the Behnia Lab, Gabriel seeks to develop a more complex understanding of multi-sensory learning in the fruit fly by utilizing and improving upon computational techniques before moving toward a Ph.D. program for Neuroscience. Outside of the lab, Gabriel has played piano for many years and enjoys exploring the large number of artistic programs held throughout the city.


Sarita PADUKONE

Research Staff Assistant

Sarita graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience from Skidmore College in 2023. She joins the Behnia lab to investigate the integration of different types of visual information in the fruit fly brain and is excited to strengthen her understanding of sensory processing pathways before pursuing graduate studies. Sarita is also trained in Indian classical dance and keeps up with her passion through performances and by exploring new dance styles.

Master’s STUDENTS

Justine Biscay

Visiting Student Intern

Justine is majoring in applied mathematics at the Ecole Polytechnique. She is a visiting intern at the Behnia lab. She is born and raised in Paris. Outside of work, she loves hanging out with friends, reading and playing tennis.

uNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

gONZALO ALARCON

Student Research Worker

Gonzalo is currently an undergraduate student at Columbia University majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior with a concentration in Statistics. He is interested in understanding how light can be used as reward to stimulate odor-based learning in Drosophila. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing the guitar, studying geography, and baking sweets.

Malavika Ganesan Singh

Student Research Worker

Mala is an undergraduate student at Columbia University planning to major in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Dance. In the Behnia lab, she is interested in investigating multi-sensory learning in Drosophila, and the potential for the enhancement of sensory learning that these explorations offer. Outside of the lab, she enjoys exploring different dance styles, going to museums, playing with animals, and going on spontaneous boba runs with her friends

ASHLEY CHUNG

Student Research Worker

Ashley is an undergraduate at Columbia University majoring in Neuroscience & Behavior. She is interested in understanding innate and state-dependent spectral preferences of Drosophila and its impact on copulation behavior. Outside the lab, she can be found visiting art museums, eating KBBQ, or reading at Hungarian.

ELENA NICOLE HARDY

Student Research Worker

Elena is an undergraduate student at Columbia University majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior. She is interested in learning about the relationship between external stimuli and the decision-making processes of Drosophila. Outside of the lab, she enjoys running, programming at WKCR, and listening to new albums.

Madeline Lucille Galloway

Student Research Worker

Madeline is a freshman undergraduate student at Columbia University planning to major in Neuroscience and Behavior. In the Behnia Lab, she is interested in studying the role of specific neuron circuits in multi-sensory learning and behavior. Outside the lab, she enjoys building puzzles, exploring the city with friends, and eating gyros from the Hooda Halal food truck across from campus.

LAB MANAGER

Rhythm Sharma

Laboratory Manager/Staff Associate III

Rhythm has a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from NYU. She worked as a Lab Manager and Research Staff Assistant at the Maniatis lab prior to joining the lab.

FORMER MEMBERS