Matthew Ricci, PhD​

​Matthew Ricci is a postdoctoral associate at Brown University's Data Science Initiative, where he works on methods for the optimal control of network dynamics. Earlier, he received his Ph.D. from Brown University, where he studied machine learning and computational neuroscience under Thomas Serre. He is particularly interested in machine learning techniques for the control and reconstruction of network dynamics in biological systems, from the behavioral to cellular level. He is also interested in the role of neural dynamics in higher cognition in both machines and brains. Matthew's collaboration with the Abraira Lab concerns the analysis of behavioral sequences in animal models using tools from graph theory. 
​​Personal Website: http://matthew-ricci.com/
Josh Thackray
​Josh is spearheading all the AI-based approaches to scale rodent behavior. Josh has 7+ years of experience working with high dimensional data for the Human Genetic Institute of New Jersey. In the Abraira lab he has implemented the apparatus, systems, and methods for unsupervised machine learning (Motion Sequencing: MoSeq)
Email contact: thackray@rutgers.edu
Thomas Vajtay
Thomas Vajtay recieved his Bachelors degree in Biology from Rider University where he conducted undergraduate research on mice circadian rhythms in the Lab of E. Todd Weber (https://www.rider.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/todd-weber). After graduating Thomas continued circadian research in the lab of David R. Weaver (https://profiles.umassmed.edu/display/133136) as a technician at UMass medical school. Then he joined the lab of David J. Margolis (https://www.margolislab.com/) as a technician to analyze high speed videos of mouse whisking, program robotic control systems, and analyze bioinformatics data. In 2019 Thomas became a Laboratory Researcher in the Margolis lab. Then in 2021 he joined the lab of Victoria E. Abraira alongside the Margolis lab to work on offline imaging analysis and online imaging to control closed loop systems.
Email contact: thomas.vajtay@rutgers.edu

Computer Science Undergraduate Interns
Thad Tayo
Thad Tayo is a junior at Rutgers University, double majoring in Computer Science and Statistics/Mathematics. He works as a data analyst for the Abraira Lab, where he interprets datasets and builds pipelines to automate the analysis process in order to learn more about the behavioral tendencies of mice. 
Jared Chester
Jared Chester is a senior at Rutgers University finishing up his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. At the Abraira Lab, I am fortunate to wear many hats, but I primarily work as a Software Engineer and Dev-Ops Engineer. I help develop our internal tools, manage our build and deployment environments, and architect and implement many different features and systems across our software base.

About Us

The Abraira Lab is a collaborative neuroscientific endeavor to understand the somatosensory framework of touch. Our lab operates within the W.M. Keck Center of Collaborative Neuroscience at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. We are open to interested post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate researchers willing to explore the body's largest perceptive sense.