Open Lab Notebook
Welcome to my Open Lab Notebook! This space holds all of the ideas and thought processes that went into my doctoral research with the Intelligent Systems Lab, led by Dr. Adam R. Kampff. You can read the full-text of my doctoral thesis here.
The Intelligent Systems Lab studied how nervous systems “in the wild” (as opposed to in the laboratory) are robust and flexible enough to deal with unexpected situations. Within this context, I developed a framework for precisely observing nervous systems in increasingly natural environments and contexts. I worked with the following goals in mind:
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to connect how we study the brain to the subjective experience of living with one;
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to explore frameworks and narratives for nervous system function beyond the stimulus-response-machine metaphor and open-loop causal model of behavioural organization;
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to complement and support laboratory neuroscience by a) checking the ethological validity of behaviour studies and of humane research techniques, and b) increasing the diversity and quantity of neural systems accessible to empirical neuroscientific study;
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to contribute comparative research studying nervous systems in non-rodent and non-human species, in order to better guide generalizations and translations of empirical results beyond the specific individuals or populations that participate in any one experiment;
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to nurture a culture of collaboration, trust, and rigorous imagination in research; and
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to engage with historical context and in questioning the status quo, both in and out of science.
Writings
Danbee Kim. ``Are cephalopods making a comeback in neuroscience?’’. BioTechniques. 22 Jun 2022.
Danbee Kim, Kendra Buresch, Roger Hanlon, Adam R. Kampff. ``An experimental method for evoking and characterizing dynamic color patterning of cuttlefish during prey capture’’. Journal of Biological Methods, 9.2 (2022):e161. DOI: 10.14440/jbm.2022.386.
``Neuroscience Does Design: What the Brain’s Architecture Can Teach Architects’’. Co-written with Adam R. Kampff. Published by Architectural Design, 2020. DOI: 10.1002/ad.2637.
“Why I refuse to do animal testing in my science career” Published by MassiveSci.com, 2018, for the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s first publication of Frankenstein.
“HIVE Tracker: a tiny, low-cost, and scalable device for sub-millimetric 3D positioning” Co-written with Darío R. Quiñones Colomer, Gonçalo Lopes, and Cedric Honnet. Published by Augmented Human 2018. DOI: 10.1145/3174910.3174935.
“How theater, startup culture, and business history helped us become better neuroscientists”. Co-written with Gonçalo Lopes. Published by MassiveSci.com, 2017.
“Does modern neuroscience really help us understand behavior?” Co-written with Gonçalo Lopes. Published by MassiveSci.com, 2017.
Teaching
Teacher for Neuronautas, a field neuroscience summer camp for Portuguese youth. Funded by the Academias Gulbenkian do Conhecimento, 2019 - 2022.
Teacher for the Appalachian Institute for Creative Learning: since January 2010.
Teaching Assistant for Intro to Techniques in Neuroscience. Champalimaud Neuroscience Program, January 2014.
Co-organizer for Bridging Neuroscience and Embodiment: The Many Bodies of Embodied Cognition. Champalimaud Neuroscience Program, Fall 2013 Advanced Course: October 28 - November 1, 2013.
Presentations
On the aims and methods of Field Neuroscience: Non-invasive techniques for studying nervous systems in natural settings. Doctoral defense presented on December 17, 2020.
On the aims and methods of Field Neuroscience: increasing the diversity and quantity of subjects in behavioural neuroscience studies Progress report presented to my thesis committee members and INDP program director on June 11, 2019.
What is Behaviour? Presented at Session 2 of Neuronautas, a neuroscience enrichment program for Portuguese high-schoolers, funded by Academias Gulbenkian Conhecimento.
An Introduction to Field Neuroscience Presented at Session 1 of Neuronautas, a neuroscience enrichment program for Portuguese high-schoolers, funded by the Academias Gulbenkian Conhecimento.
Goals of Neuroscience as a Field Co-presented with Joana Soldado Magraner and Francesca Greenstreet at the SWC AlternaTea Hour on Oct 26, 2018.
Mind Full of Music: The Neuroscience of Music “In The Wild” Presented at Orchestrating the Brain, a 2018 FitzFest event hosted by the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre and created in collaboration with April Cashin-Garbutt, SWC Communications Manager, and Dan Bates, Artistic Director of FitzFest.
“How Cuttlefish Play With Light” Presented at the UCL International Day of Light celebration on May 15, 2018.
“Validating Neuroscience Experimental Paradigms Across Species” Presented at a seminar at the N Center of Sungkyunkwan University on February 12, 2018.
“The Power to explore, test, and realize your scientific fantasies” Presented at the 2017 Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown Student Retreat in Mafra, Portugal.
“The Cuttle Shuttle: Behavior and Learning in Predatory Sepia officinalis (Cephalopoda)” Presented at the 2017 CephsInAction & CIAC meeting “Cephalopod Science from Biology to Welfare”, Heraklion, Crete.
“What can we learn about brains by studying the movements of bodies?” Presented at the opening plenary session of the 2o Congresso Nacional de Psicomotricidade in Vila Real, Portugal, 2016.
Videos
I was interviewed after co-hosting and speaking at Orchestrating the Brain, a 2018 FitzFest event hosted by the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre and created in collaboration with April Cashin-Garbutt, SWC Communications Manager, and Dan Bates, Artistic Director of FitzFest. Produced by Jake Fairnie and April Cashin-Garbutt.
I was interviewed for a series of short video documentaries about neuroscientists at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, Francis Crick Institute, and King’s College. Produced by Jake Fairnie, Edward Bracey, and April Cashin-Garbutt.
I was asked to describe on-camera the research we do at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour in this short video introduction. Filmed and edited by Barry J Gibb.
In this video, I draw and narrate an explanation of the research goals and interests of the Intelligent Systems lab using only the top “ten-hundred” words in English.
Live Performances
On 24 May, 2019, I hosted a Dear Neuroscience event focused on Touch and Proprioception, working with local performers, crafters, and clinicians to connect neuroscience research to our daily lives. The event was funded by a UCL Train and Engage Fellowship, and this mini-video documentary was filmed and produced by Jake Fairnie.
Soapbox Science, London 2018: Another event at which I did some “science busking”, this time along the South Bank of the Thames!
Wellcome Collection Friday Late Spectacular: Your Reality is Broken: A “science busking” gig on Friday, 01 December 2017, where I spoke to the general public about my research while wandering the Wellcome Trust Collection.
“Pilot Data, an Aronauts EP”: An original set of science songs performed at the 2017 Live Music Symposium at the Francis Crick Institute.
Building Bridges project: A science outreach project at the London Science Museum where I spoke to groups of visiting primary school children about my research. Spring 2017.
Projects
Below is documentation of my thesis work, in various stages of polish. More thoughts can be found in the “BrainPlay” section of this website.
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