Team
Joining Us
Prospective Graduate Students
I accept PhD students through the UW Department of Biology Graduate Program. Please note that our program does not offer Masters degrees. While researchers in our lab care about the conservational implications of our work and the impacts of anthropogenic change on animal behaviour, we are fundamentally interested in understanding the role of social interactions in shaping biological processes across scales—from the emergence of individual decisions to the evolution of social complexity. I look for graduate students who are self-driven, value curiosity, creativity, and diverse perspectives, and are willing team-players. Majority of our work is computational, so students should have strong quantitative and writing skills. The lab welcomes students from diverse backgrounds and is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work.
Current members
Vivek Hari Sridhar, PI
Vivek is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington and an guest researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. His research explores the fundamental principles underlying spatiotemporal computation in biology, with a particular focus on the mechanisms driving animal movement, and decision-making. As a mixed-media artist and alumnus of the »Field Trip« residency in Akademie Schloss Solitude, he also collaborates with artists to offer distinct perspectives on science and the natural world.
Jimjohn (Jj) Milan, PhD student
Jj is a PhD student in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington. His research explores how animal collectives process and respond to information in natural environments, with a focus on the behavioral dynamics of marine fish schools. He is particularly interested in understanding how individuals balance social and environmental cues when making decisions under threat.
Jonathan Grothe, Research Assistant
Jonathan is a Masters of Data Science student at the University of Washington. His research focuses on modeling animal decision making in different environments. He is interested in creating models that can be used to describe a variety of naturally occurring situations.
Past members
