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. Sachira is co-mentored by Gwyneth Card. 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. Sharon is co-mentored by Larry Abbott. 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


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.


Ricardo Mora

Research Staff Assistant

Ricardo holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Boston College. His research focuses on understanding multisensory inputs in the Drosophila mushroom body, with a particular emphasis on olfactory and visual processing. Currently, he is investigating the mechanisms underlying associative learning in fruit flies. Outside of the lab, Ricardo likes to go to museums, play volleyball and enjoys picking up new languages.

uNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

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

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.

Ashika prakash

Student Research Worker

Ashika is a senior at Barnard College studying Neuroscience & Behavior. In the Behnia Lab, she is interested in learning about contextual learning in Drosophilia. Outside of lab, Ashika enjoys practicing yoga, playing poker and being a foodie.

CHLOE SZETO

Student Research Worker

Chloe is an undergraduate student at Columbia University planning to double major in Cognitive Science (specializing in neuroscience) and Economics. In the Behnia Lab, she is interested in studying multi-sensory learning and escape behavior in Drosophila. Outside of the lab, she enjoys fencing, watching Formula One, baking sweets, and listening to new music.

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