Vanessa Ruta

Vanessa Ruta

Principal Investigator

Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden
Associate Professor of Neurophysiology and Behavior

Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

“How do we learn, recognize objects, or navigate social interactions? While these computations form the basic fabric of our human experience, how they arise from the bewilderingly complex circuits of our brain remains a mystery. My work is inspired by the potential of simpler systems, like tiny insects, to provide insight into the core mechanisms of brain circuits and ultimately unravel the brain’s fundamental logic.”

 

  • Education

    B.A. in chemistry, 2000
    Hunter College of the City University of New York

    Ph.D., 2005
    The Rockefeller University

  • Postdoc

    Columbia University, 2005–2010

  • Positions

    Associate Research Scientist, 2010–2011
    Columbia University

    Assistant Professor, 2011–2017
    Associate Professor, 2017–
    The Rockefeller University

    Investigator, 2021–
    Howard Hughes Medical Institute

  • Awards

    New York Stem Cell Foundation–Robertson Neuroscience Investigator, 2012
    Pew Biomedical Scholar, 2012
    McKnight Scholar, 2012
    Sinsheimer Fund Scholar, 2012
    Irma T. Hirschl/Monique Weill-Caulier Trust Research Award, 2013
    Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2013
    NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, 2013
    The Rockefeller University Distinguished Teaching Award, 2015
    The Simon’s Foundation Collaboration for the Global Brain Investigator , 2019
    NIH NINDS Research Program Award, 2019
    MacArthur Fellowship, 2019

 

Rory Coleman

Rory Coleman

Postdoc

BS, Cell and Molecular Biology
University of Connecticut, 2010

PhD, Genetics and Development
Laboratory of Gary Struhl
Columbia University, 2017

Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow
NIH NIGMS K99 Awardee

Google Scholar

 
 

Charlie Dowell

Charlie Dowell

Postdoc

B.A. Natural Sciences
University of Cambridge, 2015

Ph.D. Neuroscience
University College London, 2023

Google Scholar

 
 

Katharine Keller

Katharine Keller

Research Assistant

B.S. Biology
University of California, Santa Barbara, 2021

Google Scholar

 
 

Chidera Udedibia

Chidera Udedibia

Research Assistant

B.A.
Columbia University (2023)

 
 

Caitlin Murphy

Caitlin Murphy

Research Assistant

BA
Williams College (2024)

 
 

Philip Brand

Philipp Brand

Postdoc

BSc, Biology
Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany, 2010

MSc, Genetics and Evolution
Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf and Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, 2013

PhD, Population Genetics
University of California, Davis, 2019

Junior Fellow of the Simons Society of Fellows

Google Scholar

Personal website

 
 

Nathan F. Parker

Xiao Fan

Postdoc

B.A. Tsinghua University
Beijing, China, 2014

Ph.D. Tsinghua University
Beijing, China, 2019

Google Scholar

 
 

Juliana Ree

Juliana Ree

Postdoc

BA, Philosophy and Germanic Languages and Literature
Harvard University, 2010

Ph.D. Neuroscience
Harvard Medical School, 2021

Google Scholar

 
 

Jaycie Wang

Jaycie Wang

PhD student

BS, Peking University (2023)

 
 

Anna Ryba

Anna Ryba

Student

Graduate Fellow

BA, Biology
Williams College, 2016

 
 

Rishika Mohanta

Rishika Mohanta

PhD Student

BS-MS, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India (2022)

 
 

Chad Morton

Chad Morton

Graduate Fellow

BS, Chemistry
Southern Connecticut State University, 2016

 
 

Florian Hollunder

Florian Hollunder

Graduate Fellow

MD, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Technical University of Munich, Germany, 2021

Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Predoctoral Fellowship

 
 

Beth Graczyk

Beth Graczyk

Research Specialist

B.S. in Molecular Biology, B.A. in Dance
University of Washington, 2001

 
 

Noelle Eghbali

Noelle Eghbali

MD PhD student

B.S. Neuroscience
University of Pittsburgh, 2021

 
 

Navid Paknejad

Navid Paknejad

Senior Research Associate

B.Eng. Bioengineering
Hofstra University, 2013

Ph.D. Biophysics
Weill-Cornell Medical College, 2013

 
 

Murtaza Hathiyari

Murtaza Hathiyari

Mechatronics Engineer

MSc in Robotics
Johns Hopkins University (2023)

 
 

Shade Eleazer

Dragana Nesic

Senior Research Associate

B.S. Molecular Biology and Physiology
University of Belgrade, Serbia, 1991

Ph.D. Immunology and Molecular Oncology
New York University, 1998

M.S. Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering
University of Belgrade, Serbia, 1994

 
 

Marylene Leboeuf

Marylene Leboeuf

Lab Manager