Members

I was born and raised in Rhode Island, on the east coast of the United States. I did my undergraduate degree at Brown University in Providence, RI. For my PhD. I joined the Brown-NIH graduate partnership program, moving to Bethesda, M.D. to work in the lab of Mark Stopfer at the National Institutes of Health. For my post doctoral work I moved to Germany to join the lab of Gilles Laurent in Frankfurt, Germany. I came to OIST in 2019, and am interested in studying animal brains and behavior.

Originally from Beziers, a small city in the south of France, I have always had a passion for marine life. After completing my Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology at La Rochelle University and a master Biosciences and Modeling of Complex Systems at ENS de Lyon, I found in neuroscience the way to combine my interests in both experimental and theoretical approaches to biology.  I discovered cephalopod neuroethology through an internship in Gilles Laurent lab at MPI for Brain Research in Frankfurt, where I focused on studying cuttlefish camouflage behavior. I later joined OIST to continue my studies in that field.
My primary focus within the research unit is studying cephalopod motor control, including camouflage, hunting, and locomotion. I am particularly interested in understanding how these complex behaviors can help us to better understand the evolution of brains and behavior.
When I'm not conducting research, I enjoy a variety of outdoor activities such as rock climbing, diving, and hiking.

I grew up in Tábor, a small city in Czech republic. I received a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and moved to Sweden to pursue a degree in Neurochemistry with Molecular Neurobiology at Stockholm University. I got interested in nervous systems of various invertebrates and moved to Okinawa for my PhD. Out of the lab I’m mostly playing ultimate frisbee.
I also like baking. So if the whole PhD thing doesn’t work out plan B is to open up a bakery.

I’m originally from Barreiro, Portugal — the town with Lisbon as its view, where I got a BSc in Cellular and Molecular Biology at NOVA University.  After that, an MSc in Neurobiology at Universidade de Coimbra, which led me to join Megan Carey’s lab at the Champalimaud Foundation to study how the cerebellum keeps mice walking straight (spoiler: it’s complicated).
I then moved to RIKEN, trading mice for flies, where in Terufumi Fujiwara’s lab I designed and built a closed-loop behavioral setup (a VR gym treadmill for flies, basically).
Now I’m a PhD student at OIST in Sam’s lab, where I love to design and build stuff to do cool science. Along the way, I became fascinated by cephalopods, especially their crazy camouflage abilities, and now my main interest is to understand how cuttlefish make sense of the world well enough to disappear into it.
 

I entered The University of Tokyo with an interest in neuroscience, but after reading the books by Richard Feynman I decided to major in physics.
After having great fun with single-molecule imaging and soft matter physics, I went to Princeton University for my master's degree where I worked on nano-particle spectroscopy.
Then my interest in neuroscience came back once again, and I conducted my PhD research in the lab of Hiroki Ueda at UTokyo.
There I worked on 3D mouse brain imaging using light-sheet microscopy, and big image data analysis using cloud computing.
Now at Reiter unit, my interest is to apply the hard-core techniques from physics and computer science to understand the complex and interesting anatomy of the cephalopod brains.
Programming has always been my passion and Zen moment, and I write codes to chill my soul.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy running, cooking, and watching anime.

I was born in Nagasaki, Japan. After completing my Ph.D. in insect physiology in Japan and France (with Teiich Tanimura at Kyushu University and with Frederic Maion-Poll at INA P-G), I moved to Berkeley, California, to work in the lab of Kristin Scott. Back in Japan, I worked with Tetsuya Tabata at Tokyo University. In 2020, I came to OIST, joining Greg Stephens' Biological Physics Theory Unit and Sam Reiter's Computational Neuroethology Unit. I am interested in how animals behave and react to their environments. I want to seek mechanisms or theory underlying volitional behaviors through the quantitative analysis of collective squid behavior. Besides work, I enjoy traveling, but my favorite is cycling along the Okinawa coast.

I was born in Milan and earned my BSc in Biology and my master’s in Marine Biology in Italy. In 2017, my interest in marine ecology and biodiversity brought me to Okinawa, where I completed my PhD in James Reimer's lab at the University of the Ryukyus. My research focused on coral reef ecosystems and the effects of local environmental stressors on coral rubble cryptic invertebrate species.
At OIST, my work has centered on cephalopod aquaculture and husbandry, with a current shift towards ecological field studies. I am particularly interested in animal behavior, species ecology, and responses to environmental changes, including habitat loss and degradation. My research seeks to uncover the resilience and adaptability of marine organisms under growing anthropogenic pressures.
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, hiking, scuba diving around Okinawa, and spending time with my loved ones.

Born in Osaka Japan.  Have been working at OIST as Research Unit Administrator since 2018.  Loved baking and sharing!

I am from Gifu Prefecture and came to Okinawa from college.
At the University of the Ryukyus, I belonged to the Department of Marine and Natural Sciences and was at the Waterfront Experimental Station on Sesoko Island.
My hobby is playing volleyball, and I also coach local elementary school students.
At OIST, I was a member of the Masai Lab from 2009 to September 2022, where I mainly supported research on lenses using zebrafish.
Since October 2022, I have been working as part of the Computational Neuroethology Unit. I am looking forward to utilizing my various skills and acquiring new knowledge and techniques.

I grew up in a small village near Ho Chi Minh City-Viet Nam. After finishing high school in my hometown, I went to France to continue my study.
I completed the Master in Biochemistry in France before moving to Singapore and Ireland with my small family.
I joined OIST since September 2012 and have been working as a research unit technician. I had opportunity to improve my knowledge and lab work skills by working on different research areas: Bacteria, Blood cells, Drosophila at OIST.
Joining Dr. Reiter’s team - Computational Neuroethology Unit, I am excited to use my skills to work on the interesting cephalopods and to learn new techniques.
I enjoy supporting researchers and students on their research while exploring cephalopods brains and behaviour.
Besides work, I am passionate about gardening and cooking.