Kevin Franks (PI): Kevin first learned about how experience shapes perception when he read about the plasticity of ocular dominance columns as an undergraduate studying Biomedical Science and Philosophy. And that experience changed everything. Now, the Franks Lab uses the mouse olfactory system to study how the brain processes sensory information and how these representations change with experience to support flexible behaviors. Using tools like optogenetics and high-density neural recordings, Kevin and his team are probing how circuits in the piriform cortex shape perception and behavior. Despite the constant ridicule, Kevin continues to enjoy an orange at precisely 5 o’clock every afternoon.
Robin Blazing (Post Doc.): Robin is a Neurobiology student who joined the program in 2018. She graduated from Duke University in 2017 with degrees in Biology and Spanish. She is broadly interested in the neural computations underlying sensory perception and learning. In the Franks lab, she is studying the transformation of olfactory information from the olfactory bulb to piriform cortex. In her free time she enjoys trail running in Duke Forest, going to all of the Durham restaurants, and teaching her cat new tricks.
Simon Daste (Post Doc.): Simon joined the Franks Lab in 2024 after completing his Ph.D. in Alex Fleischmann’s lab at Brown, where he studied how piriform cortex neurons that project to different target areas represent odor information. Simon started with Alex at the Collège de France and is originally from a small town in Bordeaux that you haven’t heard of.
Emily Weingardt (Research Technician): Emily joined the lab in June 2024. She graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with degrees in Molecular Biology and Psychology, in addition to a minor in data science. Most recently, she collaborated with NOAA and the US Embassy in Costa Rica to statistically model vector-borne disease transmission and its relation to climate change. In the Franks lab, she is broadly interested in investigating how signal processing can inform models of perceptual and cognitive dynamics. Outside of lab, she enjoys hiking, reading, and hip-hop dancing.
Mia Foglesong (Research Technician): Mia is a research technician who joined the Franks lab in August 2024. She graduated from UNC-CH with a major in Psychology and Neuroscience and a Music minor. As an RA, Mia researched the neurobiological mechanisms of psilocybin “magic mushrooms” to better understand its therapeutic potential as well as the relationship between interoceptive ability and eating behaviors. Broadly, she is interested in how our sensations contribute to our rich internal world that influences our perception and behavior. In Mia’s free time, she plays ultimate frisbee and the piano, in which she is classically trained.
Lab Alumni
Postdocs:
Kevin Bolding (2013-2019; Asst. Prof., Monell Center & Adjunct Asst. Prof., U. Pennsylvania)
Erica Rodriguez (2018; postdoc, Salzman lab, Columbia University)
Graduate Students:
Robin Blazing (2024; postdoc, Franks Lab)
Carolyn Diaz (2023; residency in Anesthesiology, U. of Washington.)
Shiva Nagappan (2022; postdoc, Dombeck lab, Northwestern University)
Honors Students:
Brendan Ryu (with distinction)
Visiting Scholars:
David Cheng-Hao Wang (2022, visiting graduate student, Stanford Unversity)
Maryann Platt (2018, visiting graduate student, Columbia University)
Benjamin Roland (2015, visiting graduate student, Collège de France)
Technicians:
Maggie Hayes (Mouse Behavior Core Analyst, NIEHS)
Samuel Montgomery (traveling)
Brendan Ryu (medical student, Hofstra University)
Mandy Munsch (Bioengineering Ph.D. program, UNC)
Meredith Lackie (medical student, University of Vermont)
Melissa Franch (Ph.D. program, UT Health Houston)
Mark Dalgetty (medical student, University of South Carolina)
Psyche Lee (retired)
Undergraduates:
Kanav Chhabra (medical student, UT Southwestern)
Keara Darragh (medical student, UCLA)
Hannah McMullan (Pharmacology Ph.D. program at U. Minnesota)
Eric Song (Software Engineer, Amazon)
Sade Abiodun (Neuroscience Ph.D. program at Princeton U.)
Surabhi Beriwal (medical student, Emory U.)
Katherine Kim (Duke undergraduate)