Colloquium on the Brain & Cognition with Priya Rajasethupathy, PhD, The Rockefeller University

• Date: Thursday, April 30, 2026
• Time: 4:00pm
• Location: Singleton Auditorium (46-3002, Third Fl of MIT Building 46)
• Faculty Hosts: Li-Huei Tsai & Matt Wilson
• Reception to Follow

Talk Title: Memory Across Time Scales

Abstract: How are transient stimuli converted into lasting internal representations? And are there unique strategies to achieve memory on different time scales. Our lab addresses these questions by bridging functional genomics with systems neuroscience to provide cross-disciplinary insights. On one hand, we perform genetic mapping in outbred mice for unbiased discovery of genes, cell types, and circuits relevant for memory maintenance. In parallel, we develop and apply methodologies to record and manipulate neural activity from relevant circuits in the behaving animal. In today’s talk, I will discuss molecular and neural circuit mechanisms that support memory maintenance over progressively longer time-scales. 

Bio: Priya Rajasethupathy is currently the Jonathan M. Nelson Family Associate Professor and Head of Lab at the Rockefeller University. She obtained her BA from Cornell University, and an MD/PhD in Neuroscience from Columbia University, working with Eric Kandel. She did her post-doctoral work at Stanford University with Karl Deisseroth. Currently, at Rockefeller University, experiments in her lab are aimed at understanding genomic and neural computations that support memory. Priya is a Vallee, Searle, and Klingenstein Scholar and has been a recipient of an NIH New Innovator Award, Presidential Early Career Award, and the MIND Prize.