Lab members

Christopher B. Sturdy (he/him) 

Professor for the Psychology Department at the University of Alberta. Canada Research Chair in animal Cognition, Communication, and Neuroethology. In my free time I enjoy walking the dogs, cooking/eating the food, and lifting the weights #mswarrior

Prateek Sahu (he/him)

Currently a PhD candidate after completing Masters’ with SNL. Working on auditory cognition, bioacoustics, and experimental methodologies. My research interests include animal behaviour & cognition, and mechanism of behaviour. I have worked with ants, fishes and fruit flies during my undergrad and hold a Masters’ in biological sciences. I enjoy photography, reading books, and cooking

Moriah Deimeke (she/they)

Currently an MSc student at the SNL. My primary research interests include investigating interspecies communication and perception, the role of intrinsic motivation and the encouragement of species-specific behavior in animal learning and welfare, and contact calling across species. Over the years, I have had the great privilege of working with various marine mammals, reptiles, domesticated animals and livestock, and – now – birds! This includes my dream of a study species: the mountain chickadee. Outside of research, my passions include writing, community-building, conservation, sitting ︎next to the ocean, and haunting coffee shops. ☕

Katharine Stenstrom (she/they)

I am a MSc. student starting my second year in the fall of ‘22. I’m a huge Chickadee fan! I completed my undergrad degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying Integrative Biology. I was a field tech and independent undergrad researcher. I’m a birder in my free time.

Sarah Smeltz (she/her)

I am currently pursuing an MSc as a member of the SNL. My research primarily concerns the encoding of individual and group identity information in black-capped chickadees’ vocalizations, with emphasis on vocal convergence within the namesake chick-a-dee call.
In my spare time I am an avid reader and enjoy hiking, canoeing, and pyrography.
I also proudly sit on the board of directors for Camp Warwa, a non-profit organization
offering youth opportunities to experience the outdoors.

Patrick Curiston(He/him)

Upcoming MSc. Student joining in 2025

Erin Scully (she/her)

ATS Assistant Lecturer

I obtained both my MSc and PhD from the SNL. I like to consider myself a semi-professional catsitter and amateur weight lifter. I have a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Most of my research at the SNL surrounded cognitive and behavioural neuroscience in songbirds; specifically, black-capped chickadees and zebra finches.

Andrés Camacho(He/him)

ATS Assistant Lecturer

Alexandra Garcia (she/her)

My first year in the honours psychology program begins fall 2023! Joining the SNL has allowed an opportunity to merge two of my passions: animals and psychology. Outside of the SNL, I volunteer on a distress line and hope to becoming a counselling psychologist one day!

Onyinyechukwu Okocha(she/her)

Honours Student

Annika Chell (she/they)

I am a third year student in a BA with a major in Psychology, currently working toward a research certificate. My fascination with animal behaviour began as a kid, leading me to spend over a decade training and competing in dog sports. In 2021 I completed a diploma in conservation biology, and then transitioned into my current program at the U of A. When I started looking for a lab to join, the SNL seemed to be the perfect place for me to be able to bring my passions and knowledge together!

Nikhil Kumar (He/Him)

I joined the Songbird Neuroethology Lab as a 2023 NSERC USRA summer student. I am also completing my Bachelor of Science as a second-year Honors Neuroscience undergraduate at the University of Alberta. As part of my summer project, I study conspecific-driven immediate early gene expression. This work primarily includes the extraction, processing and analysis of songbird brains. My interests include neuropathology and its subsequent surgical treatment. Outside of academia, I also enjoy swimming and going to the gym.

Kelley Polowy

Independent Studies Student

Justin Evans(he/him)

Hello, my name is Justin, and I am a fourth-year student doing my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. This is my first time in the Songbird Neuroethology Lab, and I am glad to be a part of its journey. My research interest relates mostly to black-capped chickadees’ threat perception of felines. I hope further to broaden my horizons and research interests through this position and look forward to the opportunities it provides to build my research skills. My future plans are to go to grad school for psychology hopefully and to make a career out of research. In my free time, I enjoy exploring new places, playing video games, fixing mechanical things, and reading different resources to expand my knowledge in all spheres of life.

Oliver Akins(he/him)

Independent Studies Student

Julian Ratch

Independent Studies Student