معرفی
Kate Feller is the John D. MacArthur Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Union College in Schenectady, NY, where she conducts research at the intersection of neuroscience, vision science, and animal behavior. Her work primarily focuses on mantis shrimp, which possess some of the most complex visual systems in the animal kingdom, as well as other predatory invertebrates.
Dr. Feller earned her B.S. from William Smith (and Hobart) College and her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Her academic journey has positioned her at the forefront of visual ecology research.
Her research program takes an integrative, comparative approach to understand how vision informs animal behavior, physiology, and evolution. She investigates different levels of organization in visual systems, particularly examining the link between vision and visually mediated behaviors. Her work spans multiple disciplines including neuroscience, invertebrate biology, visual ecology, and neuroethology. Dr. Feller's research on mantis shrimp has gained significant attention, including features in The Smithsonian.
Her publication record demonstrates expertise in visual system anatomy, photonic structures in marine environments, molecular aspects of spectral tuning, and neural imaging techniques. Her work bridges fundamental biological questions with advanced imaging and analytical methods.
- John D. MacArthur Assistant Professorship
- Featured in The Smithsonian
Dr. Feller teaches courses including Heredity, Evolution, and Ecology (BIO 103), Neurobiology (BIO 242), and Experimental Neurobiology (BIO 362). Her science communication extends beyond the classroom through illustrations, photography, and public engagement. She maintains an active research program studying mantis shrimp and other marine invertebrates, with particular focus on visual systems and their ecological and evolutionary implications.
Her laboratory work combines field observations with laboratory experiments to understand the functional morphology of visual systems. Dr. Feller's research team utilizes advanced imaging techniques to study both the structure and function of complex visual systems in marine organisms.
