The Seasonal and Social Neuroendocrinology Lab

In June, Kat was an invited speaker at the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute’s Science Jam event, which was hosted by CBC! Kat presented a TED-style talk to researchers, trainees, partners, supporters, and science enthusiasts in the Edmonton community about how cichlids can inform us about the mechanisms in the brain that shape social behaviors…

Kat’s Discovery Grant and Discovery Launch Supplement have been funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)! These grants will support our research examining the neural and endocrine correlates of social plasticity in African and Neotropical cichlids for the next 6 years.

Last weekend, we visited Sofya at the Jasper Planetarium (where she is working as a tour guide for the summer!) and went on a hike at Jasper National Park! For a few of us, it was our first time going to Jasper, and it was an amazing trip. We’re looking forward to our next lab…

Zack and Angela received undergraduate student research awards! Zack received a Science Experiential Skills Advantage (SESA) Award for his research investigating the regulation of coloration and circulating steroid hormone levels by androgens in subordinate A. burtoni. Angela received an Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI) Stipend Award for her research exploring the neural and endocrine mechanisms of…

Arpita received a Graduate Student Elevation Award from the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies at the University of Alberta! Congratulations, Arpita!

Angela received the Students’ Choice Award for Best Poster Presentation at the 2026 Brian Harder Honors Day Celebration! The annual Harder Honors Day Celebration showcases the research carried out by undergraduate students in the Honors Program in Psychology at the University of Alberta. Congratulations, Angela!

Chandler received a Best Graduate Student Poster Award at the 2026 Royce Research Conference for their poster presentation, entitled “Defining behaviour mathematically: Using DeepLabCut to create an automated scoring system for the study of complex social behaviours.” Congratulations, Chandler!

In April, Chandler, Arpita, and Zack presented their research at the 2026 Joseph R. Royce Research Conference! The Royce Research Conference is an annual meeting hosted by the Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta, which showcases research conducted in psychology at the university and in the broader Edmonton community. Way to go, everyone!

Yesterday, members of the SeaSoN Lab gathered at Kat’s house for our first annual holiday party, featuring delicious food and a white elephant gift exchange. From all of us at the SeaSoN Lab, we wish you a wonderful holiday season!

This week, Kat presented her research at the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (SBN) annual meeting in Vancouver! Here, she discussed her work on the cellular and molecular regulation of subordination by androgen receptors in male Astatotilapia burtoni. She had a great time catching up with friends and colleagues and is looking forward to attending next year’s…