2026 Celebration of Chemical Senses Retreat

Keynote Speaker

John McGann, Ph.D.
Professor
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Department of Psychology

Visit the McGann Laboratory website.

About the Event

Everyone is welcome to participate in the lineup of activities. CTP Trainees and associates will be providing progress reports on their work. We welcome additional Ph.D.s and postdocs interested in delivering an oral presentation to join them!  There will be an afternoon “Mock Interview Workshop” in which participants will select to be interviewed by faculty aligned with job positions in academia (R1 vs. liberal arts college), industry/government, public outreach/administration, or a research institute.  

The keynote address for the retreat will be delivered by John McGann from Rutger’s University, who will speak on “Learning and Belief in the Brain's Olfactory System." We will conclude the afternoon with a social hour of bowling and snacks. 

Schedule

Short Talks by Chemic Senses NIH Trainees and Scholars

8:15 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Vaishnavi Chinthakunta, "Contribution of Dorsal Tenia Tecta to Olfactory Perception"

Marty Compagno, "From Scent to Sustenance: Investigating the Connection Between the Olfactory Bulb and Hypothalamic Function"

Daniel Gaines,  "Evidence for Involvement of GCG-related Produces in a Rodent Model of Binge-like Eating"

Rimil Guha Roy, "Characterizing the Effects of Semaglutide on Olfactory Bulb Mitral/Tufted Cell Excitability"

Gabriel Jimenez, "Modeling Food Insecurity in Male and Female Rats"

Mariela Marques, "Stimulus Temperature Reconfigures the Psychophysical Dimensions of Salt Taste"

Bridger Menlove, "Longitudinal Tracking of Odor Responses Following Diet-Induced Obesity"

Rose Riley, "Intracellular Signaling Restores Age-Related Taste Decline In Drosophila"

David Wharton, "Network Graph Analysis of Two-Photon Calcium Imaging Data from Odor-Evoked Mitral/Tufted Cells"

Evan Lloyd, "Enhanced Multisensory Integration in the Olfactory Bulb of the Mexican Cavefish"

Saptarsi Mitra, "FosTrapping Obesity in the Olfactory System"

Katherine Odegaard, "Investigating the Impact of the Mediodorsal Thalamus on Neural Activity in the Gustatory Cortex"

Keynote Address

4-5:15 p.m.

John McGann, Ph.D., "Learning and Belief in the Brain's Olfactory System"

Interviewing Workshop

2:30-3:45 p.m.

For jobs in academia, government, industry and instructional — moderated by CTP faculty

Social Reception

6-9 p.m.

Bowling and dinner