Arkarup Banerjee

Arkarup Banerjee is an Assistant Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) within the School of Biological Sciences, where he investigates neural circuits underlying vocal communication in mammals using the Alston’s singing mouse as a model. His research integrates systems neuroscience and comparative evolutionary analyses to address how auditory-motor interactions generate sensorimotor loops and how neural circuitry evolves to enable behavioral novelty.

• Ph.D., Neuroscience, CSHL School of Biological Sciences, 2016
• M.Sc., Biophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, India, 2010–2016
• B.Sc., Biochemistry, University of Delhi, 2004–2007

His research interests span neural circuits for vocal communication, evolutionary modifications of brain structures, and sensorimotor integration. He employs techniques like optogenetics, chronic electrophysiology, and MAPSeq for high-throughput brain-wide circuit mapping. Recent work highlights the role of motor cortical dynamics in hierarchical vocal control and midbrain circuit modulation for species-specific vocal modes.

His publications reveal trends in comparative neuroscience and neuroethology, with a focus on olfactory processing, evolutionary brain mapping, and neural dynamics. Key subfields include sensorimotor loops, cross-species vocalization, and gain control mechanisms.

Scientific awards include the 2025 McKnight Scholar Award, 2024 Winship Herr Award for Teaching, and 2022–2024 Searle Scholar. He also received the 2017 Simons Foundation Junior Fellowship and the 2007 Karyn Kupcinet Fellowship.