Greg Gedman

Bio:

I grew up in New Jersey surrounded by a supportive group of family and friends. I am the first in my family to receive a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D., which has brought unique challenges when navigating the world of academia. I attended Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, where I majored in Neuroscience and Molecular Biology. I was fortunate to have a very supportive faculty member who encouraged me to pursue academic research, and I’m so thankful I did. After graduation, I went on to the Neurobiology Ph.D. program at Duke University, where I worked in the lab of Dr. Erich Jarvis. My work focused on vocal imitation learning in songbirds and humans and identifying shared sets of genes that could enable song and speech across species. In my second year, Dr. Jarvis was recruited to Rockefeller University in New York City, and I transferred there to finish my studies. My work identified hundreds of gene candidates similarly expressed in songbird and human vocal imitation brain regions, offering novel molecular targets for further study of song/speech function. Under the guidance of Dr. Stephanie White at UCLA, I am further exploring one of these gene candidates (ZEB2) and its role in organizing vocal imitation brain circuits in songbirds. My journey through academia has highlighted the necessity of strong mentorship for growth and success as a scientist, especially for students from first-gen/underrepresented backgrounds. Through IRACDA, I hope to learn the best practices of education and mentorship to support and inspire the next-generation of students in STEM.