Colquitt Lab at UCSC
development and evolution of complex motor skills
To understand the development and evolution of behavioral complexity, we study the molecular mechanisms that build and diversify neural circuits in birds.
We use birdsong — a complex learned motor skill with striking parallels to human speech — as a window into how dedicated neural circuits are constructed during development, refined through learning, and reshaped across evolution.
Our Research
Our lab combines single-cell genomics, spatial transcriptomics, gene manipulation, and behavioral analysis to understand:
- the gene regulatory networks that build birdsong neural circuitry during development
- how these networks intersect with sensory experience during vocal learning
- how evolutionary modifications to these programs gave rise to the diversity of vocal learners
Our Team
The Colquitt Lab opened in 2022 at UC Santa Cruz. We are building a diverse team of researchers passionate about the brain, development, and evolution.
Our Publications
We publish our findings across neuroscience, genomics, and evolutionary biology.
News
Our latest work examining the gene regulatory networks underlying vocal circuit formation in songbirds is now preprinted in bioRxiv.
Our latest work examining the gene regulatory networks underlying vocal circuit formation in songbirds is now preprinted in bioRxiv.
Keerthi, an undergrad volunteer in the lab, just won the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Award, given to undergrads with stellar research projects.