معرفی
Marc Schmidt is a Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts & Sciences, co-directing the Biological Basis of Behavior Program. He holds a B.A. in Biology from Swarthmore College (1986) and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Colorado State University (1993), followed by postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology in Neuroethology (1993–1999). His research focuses on neural mechanisms underlying courtship behaviors in songbirds, particularly the brown-headed cowbird, integrating neurobiology, computational methods, and engineering to study vocal and social displays. Key projects include analyzing neural circuits for vocal production, respiratory control, and female mate choice using a 'smart aviary' equipped with computer vision and wireless neural recording systems. Collaborations span engineering, physics, and other disciplines to track social behavior dynamics and neural activity in naturalistic settings.
Research highlights include unraveling the role of the 'song system' in coordinating non-vocal courtship behaviors and linking brain activity to social context. Schmidt's work bridges neural circuitry with behavioral outcomes, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to understand complex social interactions. His lab employs advanced tracking systems and computational models to quantify group behavior across breeding seasons, aiming to predict and explain social network dynamics. He teaches courses in cellular/molecular neurobiology and animal behavior, contributing to both undergraduate and graduate education.
Publications span vocal motor control, norepinephrine modulation, and social network analysis. His NSF-funded 'smart aviary' project exemplifies translational research, merging engineering and biology to study avian social behavior. Schmidt's contributions advance our understanding of neural mechanisms behind social communication and the evolution of courtship displays in vertebrates.
