Likhtik Lab

Ekaterina Likhtik, PhD

Associate Professor

Biology Department, Rm 906HN

New York, NY 10065

el1417@hunter.cuny.edu

Google Scholar profile

Tikva Nabatian - Graduate Student

Before joining the CUNY Neuroscience Collaborative, I earned a BS in Biotechnology with minors in Psychology and Philosophy from Macaulay Honors College at City College and a MS in Cognitive Neuroscience from the CUNY Graduate Center. I did my Master’s work in Dr. Jeff Beeler’s lab at Queens College, where my research focused on a high fat diet’s impact on dendritic spines in the striatum.  For my dissertation work in the Likhtik Lab, I’m interested in the role oligodendrocytes play as potentially both pre and post synaptic partners with interneurons during fear and safety learning. Outside of the lab, I enjoy going to museums, reading, and watching old movies.

L. Emma Denholtz - Graduate Student

I earned a BS in Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology from Emory University. After graduation, I was a lab manager at the University of Florida’s McKnight Brain Institute, where my research focused on stem cell therapies for cervical spinal cord injury. Next, I shifted gears to pursue my interests in emotional learning and worked as a lab technician in the Salzman Lab at Columbia University’s Medical Center/Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. Before beginning my PhD, my research focused on the neural mechanisms underlying feeding driven by Pavlovian associations rather than hunger. My graduate work in the Likhtik Lab involves utilizing calcium imaging techniques to study the effects of safety learning on circuit communication and discrimination learning. Outside of research, I am an avid dog lover (shoutout to my rescue pup, Penelope) and house plant enthusiast.

Rhonda Kolaric - Graduate Student

I earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and my M.A. in Psychology from New York University. I was a research assistant for several years at NYU Langone Medical Center in the laboratories of Dr. Kenneth Carr and where my research focused on circuits regulating metabolism and feeding behavior, and Dr. Robert Froemke where I studied perceptual learning, memory, and plasticity of the cerebral cortex. After beginning my PhD at the Graduate Center, I worked in the laboratory of Dr. Susana Mingote where I studied how the brain forms and updates the memory of salient events to discriminate between harmful, rewarding, and neutral environments in both healthy and diseased conditions. My current graduate work in the Likhtik lab aims to understand how the auditory cortex integrates sensory information related to both threat and non-threat, as well as the circuit dynamics underlying discrimination learning. Outside of the lab I enjoy playing music, going to concerts, and hanging out with my puppy Charmer.

Katherine Surrence - Data Scientist and Software Developer

Katie Surrence has an M.S. in clinical psychology from UW-Madison. She's studying for her second undergraduate degree in quantitative biology at Hunter, as well as working on an fMRI paper on the neural substrates of transference, or the phenomenon of meeting someone new who reminds you of an important relationship, and importing your expectations from that prior relationship to the new one. Katie is also developing a data analysis software package called K-Onda. In addition to her current research, she has worked as a therapist treating depression and addiction and a Python web developer.

Mia Sclar - Lab Manager/ Technician

I recently graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a minor in Ethnomusicology from Stony Brook University. Before joining the Likhtik Lab, I was an Undergraduate Research Assistant for Dr. Alice Powers. We studied the role of adult neurogenesis in the learning and memory of painted pond turtles (C. picta), where my responsibilities were primarily histology and immunohistochemistry. While at Stony Brook, I was also a Teaching Assistant and mentor to the Freshmen and Transfer Student Athletics 101 courses and served as a diver on the Women's Swimming and Diving Team, where I hold the 1-meter score record. In the future, I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in either Neuroscience or Psychology while researching Traumatic Brain Injury. Outside of the lab, I enjoy going to the gym, watching true crime documentaries, and tanning on the beach.

Nawshin Maleeha - Undergraduate Research Assistant (Macaulay Honors Program, BP-ENDURE Program)

I am a junior at Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience and hoping to minor in Chemistry and Philosophy. My research interests include the molecular basis of learning, memory, and emotions such as anxiety. I hope to further explore these topics in the lab and apply any findings to becoming a better physician or physician-scientist in the future! Outside of the lab, I enjoy teaching, singing, and watching mystery shows and movies. 

Mc.Lyne Lynch - Undergraduate Research Assistant

I’m a senior at Hunter College majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience and working toward a minor in Biology. I’m passionate about understanding the brain and how it adapts to different experiences and emotions. In this lab, I’m excited to explore how anxiety and other internal states affect learning and brain activity. Through this research, I hope to build a stronger understanding of the brain that will help me in my future medical career. Outside the lab, I enjoy reading, traveling, and watching horror movies.

George Lifshits - Undergraduate Research Assistant

I'm a Junior at Hunter College, majoring in Biology. My first lab experience was in the research of somatic insertions of transposons, but neurobiological mechanisms of behavior always seemed more attractive to me. I hope to find a way for humans to better understand each other and themselves. Outside of the lab I like world history, politology and roleplaying games.

Josh Shoykhet - Undergraduate Research Assistant (Thomas Hunter Honors Program)

I am a third year student at Hunter and part of the Thomas Hunter Honors Program. I am currently majoring in Biology and my plan is to go to medical school. I am excited to get to know more about neuroscience and contribute to advances in the field. I hope to one day apply this research experience to a career in healthcare.