{"id":1058,"date":"2025-02-17T13:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T20:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/songbirdneuroethologylab\/?page_id=1058"},"modified":"2026-07-02T14:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T20:41:07","slug":"lab-members","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/songbirdneuroethologylab\/?page_id=1058","title":{"rendered":"Lab members"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Principal Investigator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Christopher B. Sturdy (he\/him)<\/a> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Graduate Students <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Prateek Sahu (he\/him)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Moriah Deimeke (she\/they)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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 \ufe0enext to the ocean, and haunting coffee shops. \u2615<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Katharine Stenstrom<\/a> (she\/they)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I am a PhD student starting my first year in Fall 2025, having completed my Msc with the lab in Spring 2025. I\u2019m 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\u2019m a birder in my free time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sarah Smeltz (she\/her)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em> call. In my spare time I am an avid reader and enjoy hiking, canoeing, and pyrography. I also proudly sit as vice-president on the board of directors for Camp Warwa, a non-profit organization offering youth opportunities to experience the outdoors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Patrick Curiston(He\/him)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I am a first-year MSc student beginning in Fall 2025. My research focuses on synaptic plasticity, the cellular mechanisms underlying learning and memory, and how instrumental training influences these processes. Outside the lab, I enjoy rock climbing and spending time outdoors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Research Associates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Erin Scully (she\/her)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ATS Assistant Lecturer<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Andr\u00e9s Camacho(He\/him)<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ATS Assistant Lecturer<\/strong>
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Undergraduate Students <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dominick Seto (he\/him)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Honours Student

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Volunteers <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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SNL Alumni (Selected)<\/mark><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Current SNL Collaborators<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n