Principle Investigator
James C. Liao, Ph. D.
Professor
jliao@whitney.ufl.edu
Please reach out to Jimmy for information on post-doc, graduate, and laboratory technician positions or to set up a collaboration.
Jimmy received a B.A. in Biology from Weslyan University in 1996 where he worked on elasmobranch electroreception in David Bodznick’s laboratory. He completed his Ph.D. in Biology at Harvard University from 1999-2004 investigating how fish swim in turbulent flows in George Lauder’s laboratory. He then worked as a postdoctoral research assistant at Cornell University from 2004-2008 on the neural circuits of behavior in zebrafsh in Joe Fetcho’s laboratory. He started as an assistant professor in the Biology Department at the University of Florida in 2009. He is currently funded by the NIH and NSF. You can find Jimmy’s publications on his Google Scholar page and learn more about his academic lineage on Neurotree.
Visiting scientist
Liang Li
Project Leader
liang.li@un-konstanz.de
Liang Li is a Project Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the University of Konstanz in Ian Couzin’s Lab. He received his bachelor’s degree in automation from Chongqing University in 2011 and his PhD in general mechanics and foundations of mechanics from Peking University in 2017. His visit is funded by the European project ‘iNavigate.’ While in the Liao Lab, he will be researching bio-inspired robots, swarm robots, collective behavior in hybrid animal-robot systems, and bio-fluid dynamics in fish schools.
Postdoctoral Scientist
Ishani Mukherjee
Postdoctoral Scientist
mukherjee.ishani@ufl.edu
Ishani Mukherjee is interested evolution and the underlying mechanisms that drive group behavior. Her Master’s dissertation in integrated Biotechnology at St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, India, looked at information use during nest relocation by ant colonies (2013- 2018). She graduated in 2024 with a PhD in Behavioral Ecology, investigating the ecological drivers of schooling behavior among wild zebrafish and mixed-species schools under Prof. Anuradha Bhat at the Fish Ecology and Behavior Lab at IISER Kolkata, India. As a postdoc, Ishani is eager to use an interdisciplinary approach to address the mechanisms and energetics of fish schooling.
Research Interns
Blake Baccigalopi
bbaccigalopi@whitney.ufl.edu
Blake is interested in designing head stage amplifiers and three-dimensional fish tracking. When not employed as an airline pilot, he works as a veterinary technician and enjoys gardening and trail running. Originally from Texas, he graduated from Texas Tech University and is a member of the UF College of Veterinary Medicine class of 2028.
Addie Meyers
ameyers@whitney.ufl.edu
Addie is working on the acoustic telemetry project, trying to understand the movement ecology of red drum and snook in Northeast Florida. She is in the Coastal Environmental Science Program at Flagler College. Addie played soccer for 14 years and also enjoys surfing, paddle boarding, and training at the gym. After graduation, Addie plans to work in environmental science or ecology.
Michael Janelle
mjanelle@ucsd.edu
Michael is studying Oceanic and Atmospheric Science at the University of California, San Diego. He is currently working on the supervised machine learning project for 3D tracking of Atlantic Bumper and updating the website. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding, hiking, and photography.
Edwin Rajeev
erajeev@whitney.ufl.edu
Edwin Rajeev is a Project Engineer at Cummins Cederberg. He received his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at the University of Pune, India and a MS in Aerospace Engineering from UF. He then completed his Ph.D. in Civil and Coastal Engineering at UF in 2023, working on CFD models of flow behind multiple cylinder arrays and fish schools.
Lab Manager
Glenn Greenwald
ggreenwald@whitney.ufl.edu
Glenn Greenwald joined the Liao Lab as a laboratory technician, where he is working on the snook and red drum movement projects. These projects utilize surgically-implanted acoustic tags and strategically-placed acoustic receivers to monitor the movement patterns of snook and red drum between local tidal creeks, tidal rivers, ocean inlets, and the ocean.