Principle Investigator
James C. Liao, Ph. D.
Professor of Biology jliao@whitney.ufl.edu
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.
Graduate Students
Brendan Gibbs
Ph.D. – Congrats!
brendan.gibbs@whitney.ufl.edu
Brendan received a B.A. in Biology from Vanderbilt University in 2017. He then completed his M.S. from the University of Auckland, NZ in 2019 working with Dr. Craig Radford at the Leigh Marine Laboratory. While working at the Leigh lab, Brendan investigated the neurobiology of several species of sharks and in particular was interested in the auditory perception of underwater pressure waves vs underwater particle accelerations. Joining the Liao lab in 2020, Brendan is researching the visual selection of the optic tectum in freely swimming fish and is interested in the plasticity of neurons in the sensory system.
Lab Manager
Esra Gokturk
e.gokturk@whitney.ufl.edu
Esra graduated from Virginia Tech in 2016 with a B.S. in Fish and Wildlife Science, where she worked on black bear behavioral research and elasmobranch population studies. In 2020 she earned her M.S. degree in Biology studying shifts in marine fisheries populations under climate change from East Carolina University, where she worked as a scientific diver and scuba instructor. In addition to managing the lab, Esra will assist in fish migration and conservation research.
technician
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.