Our Lab Members
We are always looking for curious, motivated, and collaborative researchers excited to study how brain circuits support flexible behavior and generalization.
Shin Kira
Assistant Professor
Shin is primarily interested in how the brain makes sense of the complex real world, and how this remarkable capability can be restored when it is impaired. He received his MD from Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan and completed his PhD in the Shadlen Lab at the University of Washington and Columbia University, where he studied decision-making in monkeys and humans using electrophysiology, psychophysics, and computational modeling. For his postdoctoral work in the Harvey Lab at Harvard Medical School, he studied how the brain combines memory and sensory input to generate appropriate actions, using a navigation-based decision-making task in mice, two-photon calcium imaging, and optogenetics.
Timothy Barbara
Laboratory Assistant
Timothy is the Laboratory Assistant for the Kira Lab at Florida State University. He earned his B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Statistics from FSU. As an undergraduate, he gained experience conducting research on anxiety, trauma, and minority mental health. In his current role, he is developing computational skills and exploring neuroscience research. He hopes to expand on his research in graduate school to better identify and target underlying factors that drive outcomes such as anxiety and resilience. In his free time, he enjoys learning more about psychology, traveling, and connecting with family and friends.
Keelyn McAnarney
Directed Independent Study Student
Keelyn is a DIS student in the Kira Lab at FSU. She is currently a senior undergraduate majoring in behavioral neuroscience. She is from Sarasota, FL, and is excited to gain experience in Dr. Kira’s lab! In the future, she hopes to conduct research on the consolidation of sensation and memory. She did her first year abroad in London and Florence, and aspires to work and/or study abroad again. In her free time, Keelyn enjoys reading, cooking/baking, and traveling.
Liam Kerner
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Liam is an undergraduate research assistant in the Kira lab. He is currently a freshman at FSU studying Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, from Melbourne, FL. As a research assistant, Liam hopes to expand his understanding of the field of Neuroscience, combining interests from various disciplines. Liam hopes to pursue a career in research medicine through and MD/PhD program. In his free time, Liam likes to play pickleball, make art, travel, and spend time with friends and family.
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Evelynn Rhodes
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Evelynn is an undergraduate research assistant in the Kira Lab. She is earning her bachelor’s degree in Computational Biology with a minor in Scientific Computing, graduating in Fall 2025. She is interested in using programming tools to collect and analyze real-world biological data, as well as exploring and building mathematical models for biological concepts—especially in neuroscience and genomics. After graduation, she hopes to continue applying programming to biological research at a research institute and pursue an academic career. She is especially drawn to neuroscience topics such as learning, generalization, and behavioral genetics. As a member of the Kira Lab, Evelynn has the opportunity to work at the intersection of computation and neuroscience by analyzing large open-source datasets and, in the future, helping develop methods to collect and analyze original data.
Johanna Overbeck
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Johanna is an undergraduate research assistant in the Kira Lab through FSU's Undergraduate Research Oppertunity Program (UROP). She is currently a freshman majoring in biological sciences from Jupiter, Florida. Johanna is eager to explore how neural activity and model organisms can be used to understand memory, perception, and decision-making. She is excited to connect concepts from her coursework with hands-on lab experience and is excited to learn new skills in computational methods and data analysis. After her undergraduate studies, Johanna hopes to continue in research and eventually pursue a PhD with the goal of contributing to medical research. Outside the lab, she loves to travel, spend time with family, and watch films—her favorites are Alien and Oldboy.
Emma Colarte Delgado
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Emma is a freshman double majoring in Cell and Molecular Neuroscience and Management Information Systems. She has been involved in three independent research projects throughout high school, even winning first place in the International Science and Engineering Fair and being named a Regeneron Science Scholar for her work. At FSU, she is involved with the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, Honors College, HerCampus newspaper, Delta Alpha Chi, Madhatters Knits, as well as the Freshman Leadership Institute. In the future, she plans to work with consulting biotech firms with research project management.
