Michelle Stackmann

Michelle Stackmann (she/her/ella) is a postdoctoral scholar in Lisa Giocomo’s lab in the Department of Neurobiology. Her research focuses on investigating how multiple dynamic biological processes, such as gene expression and neural activity, work together to support cognition. Specifically, her postdoctoral work investigates how molecular mechanisms and neural populations in the hippocampus support the formation of spatial memories using genetic tools and large-scale neural recordings. Michelle obtained her BS in Neuroscience from Duke University and her PhD in Neurobiology and Behavior from Columbia University, where she was an F31 and D-SPAN F99/K00 fellow. In her PhD, she developed novel genetic tools to investigate how multiple memories are stored in the hippocampus in the lab of Christine A. Denny. At Stanford, Michelle co-directs the trainee-led group BELONG, which aims to increase the sense of belonging and community within the neuroscience trainees. Outside of research, Michelle enjoys running, exploring new coffee shops, and spending time with her family.