Student Background/Interests
I completed my undergraduate degree at University of Toronto, Canada, and was involved in a research project under Dr. Ashley Monks looking a transgenic rodent model of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy or Kennedy's disease. I went on to get a Master's degree in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia, Canada, where I examined the role of neurosteroids in sexual differentiation of songbirds under Dr. Kiran Soma.
My general interests involve studying the role of hormones in organizing and activating various behaviors. I'm especially intrigued (alright obsessed!) with how hormones contribute to sex differences in structure and function and the molecular mechanisms behind this fundamental means of biochemical communication. The two model systems I've studied so far, the spinal nucleus of bulbocavernosus (SNB) system in rodents and the song system in zebra finches, were invaluable tools for addressing my research questions and I look forward to continuing to work on excellent, sexually dimorphic models at MSU to further elaborate on the role of endocrine signals in our bodies.
Aside from academia, my life revolves around family and friends, practicing martial arts, and reading.
Publications
Chin, EH, Shah, AH, Schmidt, KL, Sheldon, LD, Love, OP, Soma, KK. Sex differences in DHEA and estradiol during development in a wild songbird: Jugular versus brachial plasma. Hormones and Behavior (in press).
Schmidt, KL, Pradhan, DS, Shah, AH, Charlier, TD, Chin, EH, Soma, KK. Neurosteroids, immunosteroids, and the balkanization of endocrinology. General and comparative endocrinology (in press).
|
Amit Shah 