Researchers in the Crook Lab come from diverse educational backgrounds and have many different career goals.  

PrincipAl Investigator

Dr. Robyn Crook, Professor of Biology 

I am an evolutionary biologist and behavioral neuroscientist. I received my undergraduate degree in Zoology at the University of Melbourne, Australia, in 2004. I moved to New York City to complete my Doctorate in Biology (Ecology, Evolution and Behavior) at the City University of New York. After developing an interest in how selection on behavior shapes the evolution of brains, I took a cellular neuroscience post-doc at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston in 2008. I started here at SF State as an Assistant Professor in 2015. My research lab's primary focus is the evolution and function of injury-induced behavior, including pain. My students work mainly on the model organism Euprymna, but also on other cephalopod species as pertinent questions arise. Over the course of my career, I’ve worked with and published on all four of the major cephalopod taxa - nautilus, squid, octopus and cuttlefish - as well as with crustaceans and laboratory rodents.

In addition to running my research lab, I am the co-ordinator for the Physiology and Behavior Masters concentration, the Associate Department Chair for Infrastructure and Research, and I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in the Physiology major and P&B Masters programs.  My current teaching assignments are Human Physiology Lab in the Fall, Neural Systems Physiology in the Spring, along with Masters-level seminar classes in Physiology and Behavior.

Dr. Robyn Crook is an Allen Distinguished Investigator (awarded by the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group) and an NSF CAREER awardee. Previously she was a Grass Fellow at the Marine Biological Laboratory, and a visiting investigator at the MBL for multiple years.

Lab Members

PostDoctoral Fellows

Gabrielle Bostwick, PhD

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Crook Lab. Broadly, I’m interested in parallel innovations in sophisticated nervous systems across diverse phyla and the evolutionary pressures that have driven independent functional convergence. 

I completed my B.S. at University of California Davis, where I majored in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and conducted research on mussel physiology at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. Next, I earned an M.S. from California Polytechnic State University (SLO) is in Biology. For my master’s project I did my laboratory research in Stem Cell Technologies at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA as part of the inaugural class of the California Institute of Regenerative (CIRM) Training Program.  In 2018 I earned my Ph.D. in Medical Science from the University of Florida in the laboratory of Dr. Leonid Moroz. My doctoral research combined classical neuroanatomical techniques with next-generation sequencing and cloning to map expression of conserved and novel secretory molecules and low molecular weight neurotransmitters in learning, memory, and visual centers of octopuses.  

In the Crook Lab, I plan to optimize molecular techniques to help us understand the cellular basis of neuronal communication in sensorimotor circuits of cephalopod arms and integration centers of the brain.  

Gabby is funded by the lab’s Allen Foundation “Neural Circuit Design” grant. 

Masters students

John Benedict- Class of 2027. I am currently a Master’s student at San Francisco State University studying Physiology and Behavioral Biology.

I completed my Bachelors at University of South Florida in Biomedical Science with Minors in Psychology and Classics. After graduation, I worked at Busch Gardens Tampa as a Zoological Educator and then later became a Zoological Specialist working with birds and reptiles. While at Busch Gardens I gained a wide variety of experience working with and helping in many sections of the zoo including: great apes, large cats, and pachyderms. 

I am fascinated by genetics, animal welfare, nociception, behavior and environmental change. In the Crook Lab, I am hoping to work on the specific genes that affect nociception in cephalopods and where they might be expressed. 

After I graduate I hope to pursue a PhD in Biology to continue researching cephalopods. 

Meaghan Klos - Class of 2027. I am a master’s student in the Biology program at SF State, concentrating in Integrative Biology. I graduated from the New College of Florida with a B.A. in Biology. There, I conducted field research with octopuses in Honduras, tracking prey preferences in this population following a hurricane event. This research became the foundation of my baccalaureate thesis that I wrote under the guidance of Dr. Sandra Gilchrist.

I have since worked in both zoos and aquariums, and have also completed an internship at Dr. Colleen Reichmuth’s Pinniped Cognition and Sensory Systems lab. There, I gained hands-on experience with animal husbandry and training, and I managed physiological data across multiple pinniped species to gain greater insight towards how dive responses are managed in this group of animals.

I am fascinated by cognition, behavioral neuroscience, and sensory biology. I would love to explore questions concerning how nociception drives decision making in cephalopods, and especially how this may have greater implications for their welfare.

Upon graduation, I will pursue a Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience.

Mox Engelman - Class of 2027. I am a master's student in the Biology program at San Francisco State University, with a concentration in Physiology and Behavior. I earned by Bachelor of Science degree at Rutgers University - New Brunswick in biological marine science and visual art, with a minor in creative writing. There, I completed my honor's thesis under the advisement of Dr. Henry John-Alder, examining the relationship between biometrics, color attributes, and ectoparasites in eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus). Since graduation, I have worked as a tutor in a variety of subjects for all age groups, and spent a little over half a year volunteering in the ctenophore lab of Dr. Allison Edgar. Through these roles, I have gained experience in communication, acrylic aquarium construction, writing protocol, and marine animal husbandry.

I am fascinated by cognition, sensory systems, behavior, and coloration. I hope to explore questions relating to how cephalopods learn and consolidate memories, and how neural examination procedures like anesthesia impact these processes.

Upon graduation, I plan to pursue a PhD program where I can continue studying cephalopod neural systems and behavior. 

Incoming MS Students

The Crook Lab welcomes applications for the Fall 2027 intake cycle - applications open soon.

Crook Lab Alumni

2026

Sarah Giancola-Detmering - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior)

Lindsey Chan - MS Biology (Integrative Biology)

Tyler Mears - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior)

Undergraduate students: Daniel Ripalda, Tatumn Kopp

2025

Kira Lemke - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior)

Undergraduate Students: Madelyne Duenes Torres, Max Morena, Deborah Roque

2024

Diana Neacsu - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior. Now PhD student, KU Leuven, Belgium

Undergraduate Students: Ben Zeko, Michaela Bongcaron, Adam Greer, Willow Hodson, Lila Khazeei, Ileana Rodriguez, Haseeb Sabur

2023

Abbigale Koenigsmark - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior). Now PhD candidate, U Oregon

Rachel Parsons - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior). Now PhD student, UC Santa Cruz

Undergraduate students: Noah Centino, Khadeejah Dos

2022

Research Technician: Skyler Deutsch (NSF REPS)

Undergraduate students: Megan Manahan, Ingrid Ortega, Alyssa Ng, Shannon Changizi, Jackie Uribe, Amanda Friedman

REU students: Connor Squellati (Pomona College), Johnathan Shia (Northwestern)

2020

Meghan Holst - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior). Now PhD candidate, UC Davis

2019

Stephanie Bazarini - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior). Now PhD candidate, UCSB

Ryan Howard - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior). Now PhD candidate, Auckland University of Technology, NZ

Vivien Enriquez - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior). Now PhD candidate, UCLA

2019

Ichigo Zachau - BS Physiology

Timothy Balilo - BS Physiology

Alan Fallahi - BS Physiology

2018

Hanna Butler-Struben - MS Biology (Physiology and Behavior). Now PhD student, UC Davis

Nasira Johnson - BS Marine Biology

Ana Martinez - BS Physiology

Joseph Abdelmessih - BS Physiology

2017

Samantha Brophy - BS Physiology. Now Research Specialist, Gladstone Institute, UCSF

Emily Zepeda - BS Cell & Molecular Biology. Now PhD Candidate, UC Davis

Robert Veline - BS Physiology. Now Research Specialist, UCSF

Katherine Stennette - REU BREED student.

Sara Tom - BS Physiology

Lemo Dayekh - BS Physiology

Peyman Bastani - BS Physiology

Robert Dasmarinus - BS Physiology

Sugar McQuarn - BS Physiology

2016

Kia Seehafer - REU BREED student. Now PhD Candidate, U. Minnesota

Paul Perez - BS Physiology. Now Senior Research Associate, Genetics core, UCSF

Christina Lardie - BS Physiology. Now paramedic, Sacramento County Fire Dept.

Lauren Lopes - BS Physiology. Currently at San Francisco General Hospital

Joshua Hernandez - BS Physiology

Stephanie Skidmore - BS Physiology