Darya Task

Current Position:
Postdoctoral Fellow with Andrew Gordus at JHU Biology

AKA: Dasha
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Hometown: Lima, Ohio

dtask1 [AT] jhmi.edu

Education:

  • Undergraduate: The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. B.S. in Psychology, summa cum laude, with Honors in the Arts and Sciences. B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature, summa cum laude, with Honors in the Arts and Sciences. 2008-2011.
  • Graduate: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. Ph.D., Neuroscience. Thesis Advisor: Christopher Potter, Ph.D. Thesis: “Neurogenetic investigation of olfactory receptor expression in Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles coluzzii insects.” 2012-2019

Awards/Fellowship/Grants:

  • Images from Science 3 Juror Selection Award (2019)
  • Gordon Research Seminar on Neuroethology Presenter Reimbursement Award (2019)
  • Cold Spring Harbor Neurobiology of Drosophila Travel Grant (2015)
  • The Johns Hopkins Graduate Student Association Travel Award (2015)
  • The Ohio State-Lima John T. Mount Award (2011)
  • The Ohio State College of Arts and Sciences Certificate for Excellence in Scholarship (2011)
  • 1st Place in Psychology, Denman Undergraduate Research Forum (2011)
  • National Merit Scholarship (2008 – 2011)
  • Distinguished Merit Scholarship (2008 – 2011)
  • Ohio Academic Scholarship (2008 – 2011)
  • Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship (2008 – 2011)
  • Robert and Mary Reusche Study Abroad Scholarship (2010)
  • Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society (2010)
  • Psi Chi Psychology Honors Society (2010)
  • Alpha Lambda Delta/Phi Eta Sigma Honors Societies (2009)

Research Interests:
Sensory biology; neuroethology; non-model organisms; flies; mosquitoes; olfaction; the chemical senses; brains; neurogenetic tools; neuroscience; circuits; behavior.

Interests outside the lab:
Photography, cooking, crafting, outdoor pursuits, science outreach, movies.

Fun fact:
I was a drummer throughout middle and high school; I once mushed sled dogs in Michigan.