Dena is a Ph.D. candidate in Neural Science at New York University. Her current work in Dr. David Schoppik's lab uses the larval zebrafish to examine how the brain assembles a complete sensorimotor circuit--in particular, how vestibular interneurons acquire their fates and achieve multi-synaptic wiring specificity. She earned a triple B.S. in Neuroscience, Biology, and Psychology, a minor in history, and an accelerated M.S. in Neuroscience from Brandeis University in 2017. Dena is passionate about teaching, mentoring, and outreach at both the high school and undergraduate levels. She spends most of her free time keeping her quarantine puppy Bandit out of trouble, but in the rare moments when he's asleep, she loves watching baseball, rock climbing, and reading history books.