Melissa Coleman

Melissa Coleman is an Associate Professor of Biology at the Keck Science Center within the Claremont University Consortium. Her research focuses on the neural basis of behavior, particularly in cellular and systems neurobiology of birdsong.

Educational Background:

• B.S. from Samford University
• Ph.D. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Postdoctoral training at Brandeis University, Barrow Neurological Institute, and Duke University

Her work explores auditory-vocal integration, sensorimotor feedback mechanisms, and neurosteroid modulation of sensory processing in songbirds, with implications for understanding neural circuits in learned communication and cognitive function.

Key Research Themes: Birdsinging as a model for neural plasticity, auditory encoding, and cooperative behavior; neurosteroid effects on rapid neural signaling; and synaptic mechanisms in vocal learning.

Her laboratory has contributed fundamental insights into the song system's functional connectivity and sensory processing through extracellular recordings and lesion studies.