Principal Investigator

Toru Shimizu, Ph.D.


Current Graduate Students

S. Leilani Kellogg, M.A.

Leilani joined our lab in Fall 2010. She is currently working on her dissertation. She successfully completed her Master's thesis project, Does Traumatic Brain Injury Precipitate Alzheimer’s Disease?.

Ahmet Kerim Uysal, M.A.

Ahmet joined our lab Fall 2011. He is currently working on his dissertation project.

Douglas Barron, Ph.D.

Joined our lab Fall 2014.

Current Undergraduate Students

David Howard

David joined our lab Spring 2014. He is currently doing research on neuroscience and I/O psychology topics.

Past Graduate Students

Tadd Patton, Ph.D.

completed his dissertation in August, 2010. He is now an Assistant Professor at Augusta State University, Georgia. 

Pete Otovic, M.A.

completed his Master's thesis, in which he studied “reconciliation" in mandrills. He is now a student at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida.
  • Debi Colbert, Ph.D. studied the auditory system of marine mammals. In collaboration with Dr. David Mann at the St. Petersburg campus, her Ph.D. dissertation (May 2008) was on the sound localization ability of Florida manatees. She is currently the vice president for animal conservation of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums at Washington, D.C.
  • Michael Brazas, Ph.D. worked on sensory interactions in songbirds for his Master's thesis (Brazas & Shimizu, 2002). In April, 2005, he finished his Ph.D. dissertation on programmed instructions under the supervision of Drs. Maria dePerczel Goodwin and Toru Shimizu. He is currently a supervisor with the Information Services Training Team at BayCare Health System.
  • Antonio Laverghetta, Ph.D. completed his dissertation in May, 2002. He is now an Associate Professor at Cameron University, Oklahoma.

Past Undergraduate Students

Frank Fishburn, B.A.

completed an Honors thesis involving visual self-recognition in pigeons. He is currently attending graduate school at Georgetown University.

Amanda Bunton, B.A.

graduated from the University of South Florida in May of 2010. She joined the Brain and Cognitive Sciences graduate program at Southern Illinois University in Fall of 2010. Her interests include traumatic brain injury and aging.

David Nicholson, B.A.

His interests include evolutionary and developmental approaches to neurobiology. And also sambas. Is currently attending Emory University for graduate school.

  • Justine VandenBosche, B.A. has been involved in histological procedures of various projects in the lab, in particular age-related changes in the auditory system.
  • Alexia Bowers, M.A. studied connections of the visual structures in the avian telencephalon for her Master's thesis (Bowers & Shimizu, 1999). She then moved to Philadelphia, where she and her husband founded a software company in Philadelphia.
  • Asef Mahmud, B.A. completed his Honors thesis regarding optical density of stained tissue slides. Currently attending USF medical school.

  • Patti Scime, B.A. graduated May, 2011. She is attending graduate school at University of Kentucky.