Stephen Shea

Stephen Shea is a Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) leading the Shea Laboratory. His research focuses on neural circuits underlying social communication and decision-making in mice, particularly relating to autism spectrum disorders and maternal behavior. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (2004) and has been recognized with awards such as the CSHL Stone Faculty Award (2018) and the Harry Ginsburg Prize (2004). His work integrates olfactory and auditory systems to study memory formation and synaptic learning, with recent breakthroughs in recording granule cell dynamics and linking MECP2 gene activity to auditory deficits in Rett syndrome models.

Key affiliations include CSHL's Neuroscience department and adjunct roles at Stony Brook University. He has mentored over 15 students and postdoctoral fellows, including Alexa Pagliaro and Yunyao Xie. Grants from Simons and Whitehall Foundations fund his studies on maternal behavior circuits and MECP2 mechanisms. The Shea Lab collaborates widely, notably with Alexei Koulakov's team on odor learning models. His research spans from granule cell population dynamics to neurotensin neuron roles in dietary choices.