Inside the mind of human connection

Some new mothers experience a sudden, severe psychiatric crisis within days of giving birth, yet postpartum psychosis remains one of medicine's most poorly understood conditions. Why do some brains respond so dramatically to the hormonal crash after birth, while others don't? Our lab is using cutting-edge DNA technology to read the brain's instruction manual at a level of detail never possible before, in search of answers that could one day predict who's at risk. Come for the neuroscience, stay for the existential crisis about how much your hormones are running the show.

Across the animal kingdom, raising young is often a team effort. In this talk, we’ll explore how animals share the work of parenting and what’s happening in the brain that makes caring for babies so rewarding. By studying mouse maternal behavior, scientists are beginning to uncover the biology behind the motivation to care for the next generation.

What if loneliness isn’t just an emotion — but a biological signal from the brain? Neuroscience shows that human connection isn’t simply a social luxury; it is a biological necessity. Our brains are wired to seek belonging, and when connection is missing, the brain reacts as if under threat. In this talk, we explore how the brain processes connection, why belonging matters for health, and how small moments of interaction can profoundly shape the brain