Researching octopus brains (contains a list of researchers I can find)

[neurobadger]

Well, folks, I have decided I'd like to make cephalopods a focus of my research in neurobiology and neurogenetics.

The Internet being the giant collection of info that it is, I'm having a horrifically hard time sussing out the names of people who do research on cephalopods, particularly people who study their behavior and their brain. I've found some folks:

(people at the same university are listed on the same line. Researchers in italics are dead or no longer practicing.)
Jennifer Mather - University of Lethbridge, Canada
Roland Anderson - Seattle Aquarium
D. L. Sinn
R. A. Byrne - Austria. Possibly retired?
M. Kuba, B. Hochner - Hebrew University of Jerusalem
J. G. Boal, L. M. Hvoreckny
A. W. Dunham
K. T. Williams
R. T. Hanlon - Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, Massachusetts, USA
L. Borelli, G. Fiorito, P. Scotto, C. von Planta - Marine Biological Station, Naples, Italy
B. B. Boycott - possibly deceased
P. R. Boyle (who is probably old or dead, considering s/he has an article published in 1954)
B. U. Budelmann - possibly retired
P. B. Dews (also probably old or dead, considering s/he has an article published in 1954)
L. Dickel, A. S. Darmaillacq, R. Poirier, V. Agin, C. Bellanger, R. Chichery - Caen, France
J. B. Messenger
A. Kovaks
D. M. Logue
W. R. A. Muntz
D. S. Olton
R. K. O'Dor
D. M. Webber
A. Packard
M. J. Renner
N. A. Moltschaniwskyj - University of Tasmania, Australia
N. A. Perrin
J. Z. Young
S. Shigeno - Chicago
R.L. Caldwell - UC Berkeley, US
C.L. Huffard - Conservation International, Indonesia/US

Are there any more?

 

[neurobadger]

J. Z. Young is dead, P. R. Boyle is an emeritus, and P. B. Dews is also probably quite dead. That's unfortunately three people not on the list of researchers.

 

[CaptFish]

Very cool, are you going to start you own research or are you looking to hook up with someone that is already doing something in your area of interest?

 

[neurobadger]

Very cool, are you going to start you own research or are you looking to hook up with someone that is already doing something in your area of interest?

I'm an undergrad.

It is virtually impossible to do the former until you've finished your postdoc.

I'm looking for people who I want to study under in grad school .

 

[CaptFish]

Ohhhh, I see, that makes sense, I didn't know you were an undergrad.
I am sure some of our resident octo docs could point you in the right direction. You can read about them here (http://www.tonmo.com/forums/content.php?117-Meet-the-Staff)

 

[robyn]

hmm, I don't know where you are, but if you are tied to a particular country maybe you can narrow your list by location. Let me add some 'last known locations' for who I know on this list, and maybe others can help too..

Jennifer Mather - University of Lethbridge, Canada
Roland Anderson - Seattle?
D. L. Sinn
R. A. Byrne - Austria (and last I heard, no longer working in science, but that may have changed. Try her co-author Michael Kuba, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, or Binyamin Hochner, same place)
J. G. Boal - Pennsylvania ??
A. W. Dunham
K. T. Williams
R. T. Hanlon - MBL, Massachussets.
L. Borelli
G. Fiorito - Naples, Italy
B. B. Boycott - deceased (?)
P. R. Boyle (who is probably old or dead, considering s/he has an article published in 1954)
B. U. Budelmann - retired (?)
P. B. Dews (also probably old or dead, considering s/he has an article published in 1954)
L. Dickel - Caen, France
A. S. Darmaillacq - France
R. Poirier - France
V. Agin - Caen, France
C. Bellanger
R. Chichery - Caen, France (?)
C. von Planta
P. Scotto - Naples, Italy
J. B. Messenger - deceased
L. M. Hvoreckny - with Jean Boal
A. Kovaks
D. M. Logue
W. R. A. Muntz
D. S. Olton
R. K. O'Dor
D. M. Webber
A. Packard
M. J. Renner
N. A. Moltschaniwskyj
N. A. Perrin
J. Z. Young - deceased

 

[DWhatley]

I have notice before that France seems to show the most interest in scientific studies of octopuses. I wonder if this is still the case.

 

[neurobadger]

hmm, I don't know where you are, but if you are tied to a particular country maybe you can narrow your list by location. Let me add some 'last known locations' for who I know on this list, and maybe others can help too..

Jennifer Mather - University of Lethbridge, Canada
Roland Anderson - Seattle?
D. L. Sinn
R. A. Byrne - Austria (and last I heard, no longer working in science, but that may have changed. Try her co-author Michael Kuba, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, or Binyamin Hochner, same place)
J. G. Boal - Pennsylvania ??
A. W. Dunham
K. T. Williams
R. T. Hanlon - MBL, Massachussets.
L. Borelli
G. Fiorito - Naples, Italy
B. B. Boycott - deceased (?)
P. R. Boyle (who is probably old or dead, considering s/he has an article published in 1954)
B. U. Budelmann - retired (?)
P. B. Dews (also probably old or dead, considering s/he has an article published in 1954)
L. Dickel - Caen, France
A. S. Darmaillacq - France
R. Poirier - France
V. Agin - Caen, France
C. Bellanger
R. Chichery - Caen, France (?)
C. von Planta
P. Scotto - Naples, Italy
J. B. Messenger - deceased
L. M. Hvoreckny - with Jean Boal
A. Kovaks
D. M. Logue
W. R. A. Muntz
D. S. Olton
R. K. O'Dor
D. M. Webber
A. Packard
M. J. Renner
N. A. Moltschaniwskyj
N. A. Perrin
J. Z. Young - deceased

Thanks. I'll update the list at the top with information.

 

[mucktopus]

There's also:
S. Shigeno, a post-doc in Chicago
R.L. Caldwell, UC Berkeley, US
C.L. Huffard, Conservation International, Indonesia/US

Dr. Shigeno is studying the brain and evolution, and has published papers on Idiosepius nervous systems/behavior. Roy and I tend to focus on behavior in the wild- no brain work so far, but it's always possible we'll start using it in the future.

 

[DWhatley]

no brain work so far, but it's always possible we'll start using it in the future.

 

[Cephalover]

Actually, if you come up with a project that's relatively cheap, there's no reason not to start your own line of research as an undergraduate.

http://www.octopus.huji.ac.il/site/members.html This links to the octopus research group in Jerusalem, which may have some people you missed (it had some I had never heard of before.)

 

[neurobadger]

Actually, if you come up with a project that's relatively cheap, there's no reason not to start your own line of research as an undergraduate.

http://www.octopus.huji.ac.il/site/members.html This links to the octopus research group in Jerusalem, which may have some people you missed (it had some I had never heard of before.)

I have never quite understood how the 'starting your own line of research as anything less experienced than a professor' thing worked. No, seriously - how do people set it in motion if their professor is doing a completely different line of research, because this expands my options as to where to apply to grad school.

 

[esquid]

You find a professor that is interested in the ideas you run past them, who has sources of financial support and who is doing research that can be translated to the organism you want to work with. A lot of universities have a senior year project as part of the degree requirement, at the University of Maine it is called a capstone project. These projects are planned as short term, easily realizable experiments and are often the first step of a research path. Does the degree program you are is have a similar project as part of it? Are you working in any labs on your campus?

 

[hagenaue]

I was just at the Society for Neuroscience convention and met Frank Grasso from Brooklyn College. He seems to be a big supporter of undergraduate research in addition to being an octopus researcher. Perhaps you could try contacting him.