Yuki Haba, PhD
2025 Leon Levy Scholar in Neuroscience
Columbia University, The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute
Sub-disciplinary Category
Neuroethology
Previous Positions
- BA, The University of Tokyo
- MA, Columbia University
- PhD, Princeton University (Dr. Carolyn McBride)
Bio
Dr. Yuki Haba is fascinated by how and why animal behavior evolves. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, he completed his undergraduate studies at The University of Tokyo. He earned a Master’s degree at Columbia University supervised by Drs. Dustin Rubenstein and Molly Przeworski. He completed his PhD at Princeton University, where he worked with Dr. Lindy McBride to uncover the origin and evolutionary history of human-biting mosquitoes. As a Leon Levy Neuroscience Scholar, he is currently working with Dr. Ishmail Abdus-Saboor at Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute to investigate the genomic and neurobiological bases of social behaviors in the African naked mole-rat. He is the recipient of several awards, including Alfred Russel Wallace Prize at Columbia, Centennial Fellowship and Masason Scholarship at Princeton, Lewis and Clark Field Scholarship from the American Philosophical Society, and Rosemary Grant Award from the Society for the Study of Evolution.
Research Summary
Uncovering the molecular and neuronal mechanisms underlying social recognition in the African naked mole-rat.
Technical Overview
Studying extreme adaptations in animals has led to fundamental discoveries in neuroscience. The African naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) exhibits one of the most complex forms of social organization called eusociality, in which hundreds of animals form a coordinated colony. Remarkably, their colonies can remain stable for over forty years. Recognition of colony members is critical for maintaining long-term communal harmony, yet how naked mole-rats in these large colonies recognize each other remains unknown. As a Leon Levy Scholar in Neuroscience, Dr. Haba will leverage the unique biology of naked mole-rats to identify molecular, neural, and behavioral mechanisms underlying social recognition. Dr. Haba will combine single-cell sequencing, brain recording, and large-scale behavioral analyses to understand how naked mole-rats perform social recognition to maintain their complex society. This work has the potential to illuminate broader principles of social communication as pro-social behaviors are among the earliest to deteriorate in conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, or major depression. By identifying the molecular and neuronal mechanisms that facilitate coordinated group engagement, Dr. Haba’s work may discover therapeutic pathways for restoring social functions in these disorders. Ultimately, understanding how the enduring, harmonious society of naked mole-rats is established and maintained may inform fundamental principles underpinning mammalian societies, including our own.