Veronica Pagowski

Veronica is a PhD. student in the lab and is interested in nervous system diversity and evolution in marine invertebrates. She works on understanding how the larval nervous system controls ecologically relevant behavior in the bat star Patiria miniata. More broadly, she aims to understand how larval nervous systems control important “decisions” for a larva to successfully disperse, find food, and settle in optimal locations. Veronica is generally interested in understanding how comparatively simple nervous systems direct complex behavior in marine invertebrates and how these unique nervous systems can provide new insights into neurobiology research.