What we study
Rodents are generalists, and invertebrates make up a large part of their diet where available. Even lab-raised animals will, with just a few days of exposure, efficiently hunt and eat live prey (Hoy et al 2016). In the wild, animals often need to forage in low-light conditions and complex environments where they hear their prey. How do animals use ambiguous sensory cues to perform this natural behavior?
Who we are: DORKS
DIY – Regardless of skill level, I expect folks to want to know how things work and to be open to learning new skills. I don’t expect you to know how to do something coming in, but be interested in learning new things and teaching us what you know– this ranges from code, to leadership, to lab equipment and helps us reach our other goals like sustainability and openness.
Open –
Scientifically — Make it easy to reproduce your results! This saves future-you a lot of headaches, helps the lab build on previous work, helps us share with others, and saves everyone time. We also post preprints, and the necessary code, protocols, and data to reproduce our work.
Personally — be willing to improve yourself and help us improve as a group.
Respectful – I will not tolerate any form of harassment or meanness towards any humans or animals.
Kind- We are a small group doing big things. While we all have our individual goals, to reach them we need to work together. Janelia is an amazing, collaborative environment, and I am most interested in hiring people who can take advantage of this unique place.
Sustainable – We are committed to sustainability. Science can be a really wasteful enterprise, and while that is sometimes necessary, we try to be mindful of our waste streams. This means we build and repair a lot of equipment ourselves, keep good lab records, and we recycle components as much as possible.
I recognize that not all of these things are required to do good science, but it is required to do good science in the Dennis lab. I also want to note that you do NOT need to have any experience with DIY, open, or sustainable activities in your past, only a willingness to adopt these practices.
Where we are
The Dennis lab is located at the Janelia Research Campus, on the colonized lands of the Piscataway and Monacan people. Learn more about the Monacan Nation and their continued struggle against forced colonization, and the Piscataway Conoy Tribe.
Dennis Lab 