Headshot of Felicia Davatolhagh.

Felicia Davatolhagh

Postdoctoral researcher
University of California, Los Angeles

Felicia Davatolhagh is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles in Anne Churchland’s lab, where she studies how cortical circuits are altered during decision-making in a genetic mouse model of autism. She also serves as a member of the neurobiology department’s Justice, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) group.

From this contributor

Explore more from The Transmitter

Is our intelligence rooted in how living organisms are organized?

Kathryn Nave explains how a concept called constraint closure may be fundamental to understanding brains, minds and cognition.

By Paul Middlebrooks
15 July 2026 | 1 min read
Soha Ashrafi photo collage art.

Making an impact through academic administration

As executive director of research at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Neurobiology, Soha Ashrafi supports more than 300 scientists, students and staff members.

By Katie Moisse
15 July 2026 | 7 min read
Illustration of birdsong, bird brain, and DNA.

This paper changed my life: Embracing an early model for naturalistic neuroscience

A 1992 PNAS paper showed how birdsong upregulates the expression of an immediate early gene in bird forebrains. The work revealed to Ribeiro the importance of studying molecular responses in naturalistic contexts.

By Sidarta Ribeiro
14 July 2026 | 4 min read