Partial CV
Education
Emory University – PhD 2023
Advisor: Dr. Sam Sober
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The Rockefeller University – PhD 2023
Thesis: Influence of Mouse Motor Cortex on Vocal Musculature
Advisor: Dr. Erich Jarvis
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Vanderbilt University – B.A. Neuroscience, Minor in History of Art, 2016
Honors Thesis: Changes in Cortical Wiring in a Mouse Model of Autism
Advisor: Dr. Vivien Casagrande
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University of St Andrews – Fall semester, 2014
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Champalimaud Institute for the Unknown, Lisbon, Portugal – Summer 2019
Interacting with Neural Circuits, CAJAL Advanced Neuroscience Training Programme
Publications
Papers and Preprints
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Published:
César D. M. Vargas, Rajvi K. Agravat*, Elena N. Waidmann*, Christodoulos Bochalis, Hector Bermudez, Theodoros Giannakopoulos, Erich D. Jarvis. (2024). A Functional and Non-Homuncular Representation of the Larynx in the Primary Motor Cortex of Mice, a
Vocal Non-Learner. BioRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.02.05.579004. *Equal contribution
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Christodoulos Bochalis, César D. M. Vargas, Erich Jarvis, and Theodoros Giannakopoulos. (2023) Unsupervised Temporal Analysis of Mouse Vocalizations. IEEE Conference on Computational Intelligence in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (CIBCB), Eindhoven, Netherlands, 2023, pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1109/CIBCB56990.2023.10264885.
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Vasiliki Stoumpu, César D. M. Vargas, Peter F. Schade, J. Lomax Boyd, Theodoros Giannakopoulos, Erich D. Jarvis. (2021). Analysis of Mouse Vocal Communication (Amvoc): A deep, unsupervised method for rapid detection, analysis, and classification of ultrasonic vocalizations. Bioacoustics 32(2), 199–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2022.2099973
Mayu Frank, Nathalie E Blachere, Salina Parveen, Ezgi Hacisuleyman, John Fak, Joseph M Luna, Eleftherios Michailidis, Samara Wright, Pamela Stark, Ann H Campbell, Ashley Foo, Thomas P Sakmar, Virginia Huffman, Marissa Bergh, Audrey Goldfarb, Andrew Mansisidor, Agata L Patriotis, Karl H Palmquist, Nicolas Poulton, Rachel Leicher, César D Vargas, Irene Duba, Arlene Hurley, Joseph P Colagreco, Nicole Pagane, Dana E Orange, Kevin Mora, Jennifer L Rakeman, Randal C Fowler, Helen Fernandes, Michelle F Lamendola-Essel, Nick Didkovsky, Leopolda Silvera, Joseph Masci, Machelle Allen, Charles M Rice, Robert B Darnell. (2021). DRUL for school: Opening Pre-K with safe, simple, sensitive saliva testing for SARS-CoV-2. PLOS ONE. 2021;16(6):e0252949.
Chapters
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Jose E. Marin, Andres H. Belmont, César D. M. Vargas, Jessica Salazar, Henderson Jones, Phillip Gibson, and Monica Delgado. (2013). Atoms, Elements, Molecules, and Ions. General Chemistry by Exploration: 46-48.
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Awards and Funding
Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship, Gordon Research Conference, 2022
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Pilot Grant, Kavli Neural Systems Institute, Rockefeller University, 2019
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Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study, HHMI, 2018
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College of Arts and Science Undergraduate Travel Award, Vanderbilt University, 2015
Talks and Presentations
Bridging Brains and Bioacoustics, November 2023 - Virtual Talk
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Rockefeller Student Retreat, August 2022 - Talk
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Rockefeller Postdoctoral Association Seminar Series, August 2022 - Talk
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Society for Neuroscience, 2021 – Poster
Agravat, R. A., Vargas, C. D. M,J arvis, E. D. Connectivity and Neuroanatomy of the Orofacial Motor Cortex and the Laryngeal Motor Cortex for Vocal Modulation in Mice
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Society for Neuroscience, 2021 – Poster
Vargas, C. D. M, Waidmann, E. N., Jarvis, E. D. Stimulation of Mouse Primary Motor Cortex Activates Intrinsic and Extrinsic Vocal Muscles
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High-Risk, High-Reward Research Symposium, NIH, June, 2021 – Poster
Vargas, C. D. M, Waidmann, E. N., Jarvis, E. D. Assessing the Functional Representation of Vocal Musculature in the Motor Cortex of Mice
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Junior Scientist Workshop on Mechanistic Cognitive Neuroscience, HHMI, December, 2020 – Poster
Vargas, C. D. M, Waidmann, E. N., Jarvis, E. D. Functional Representation of Vocal Musculature in the
Motor Cortex of Mice
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Neuromatch 3.0, October, 2020 – Talk
Functional Representation of Vocal Musculature in the Motor Cortex of Mice
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Keizen Lecture, Comparative Bioscience Center, Rockefeller University, April, 2019 – Talk
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Society for Neuroscience, 2016 – Poster
Krueger Fister* , J., Vargas* , C. D. M., Mavity-Hudson, J. A., Robson, M. J., Veenstra-Vanderweele, J., Wallace, M. T., Blakely, R. D., and Casagrande, V. A. (2016)
Changes in thalamocortical projection patterns in a mouse model of autism. Society for Neuroscienc, Program No. 30.10/C8. *authors contributed equally
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Society for Neuroscience, 2015 – Poster
Vargas, C.D.M., Mavity-Hudson, J., Robosn, M., Veenstra-VanderWeele, J., Wallace, M.,
Blakely, R., Casagrande, V. (2015) Changes in Cortical Wiring in a Mouse Model of Autism. Society for Neuroscience, Program No.490.17/E18.
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Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Science Day, September, 2015 – Poster