curriculum vitae

EDUCATION

Stanford University Stanford, CA Ph.D., Cellular, Molecular, and Organismal Biology Expected May 2026

Cumulative GPA: 4.26/4.0

Advisor: Dr. Lauren O’Connell

Thesis Title: Neural bases of parent-offspring communication in a biparental poison frog

Boston University Boston, MA Bachelor of Arts Aug 2015-May 2019 Major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Minor in Sociology

Cumulative GPA: 3.73/4.0, magna cum laude, with Research Honors

Academic Honor Societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Kappa Delta

Advisor: Dr. James Traniello

Thesis Title: Neural and behavioral impacts of isolation in a eusocial insect

RESEARCH & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Graduate Research Stanford, CA Stanford University, Lauren O’Connell April 2020 – present

Second Rotation Stanford, CA Stanford University, Lauren O’Connell Jan 2020 – Apr 2020

First Rotation Stanford, CA Stanford University, Hunter Fraser Aug 2019 – Jan 2020

Undergraduate Researcher Boston, MA Boston University, James Traniello & Sean Mullen Jan 2016 – Aug 2019

Laboratory Assistant Boston, MA Boston University, Stella Shandelman Aug 2015 – Aug 2017

AWARDS & GRANTS - RESEARCH

Charlotte Mangum Support Award Atlanta, GA Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, $500 Jan 2025

Pathways to Neurosciences Fellowship Stanford, CA Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, $4,000 Sep 2024 – Sep 2026

Gilliam Fellowship Stanford, CA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, $159,000 Jun 2022 – Jun 2025

Science Envoy Fellow San Francisco, CA Wonderfest - Bay Area Beacon of Science Jun 2022 – Jun 2023

Heiligenberg Student Travel Award Lisbon, Portugal International Society for Neuroethology, $1,900 Jun 2022

Graduate Research Fellowship (awarded, declined) Stanford, CA National Science Foundation, $138,000 April 2020

T32: Cellular and Molecular Biology Training Program Stanford, CA National Institutes of Health, $38,000 April 2020

Mark W. Riemen Summer Research Prize Boston, MA Boston University Department of Biology, $6,500 May 2018

Marion Kramer Award Boston, MA Boston University Department of Biology, $2,500 May 2018

Presidential Scholarship Boston, MA Boston University, $100,000 May 2015

AWARDS & GRANTS - PEDAGOGY & OUTREACH

Student Projects for Intellectual Community Enhancement Stanford, CA Vice Provost for Graduate Education, $3,350 Jun 2021,2022,2023

SBSA Mission Grant Stanford, CA Stanford Biosciences Student Association, $1,000 Sep 2022,2023

Leadership in Inclusive Teaching Stanford, CA Center for Teaching and Learning, $2,500 Jun 2022 – Jun 2024

Excellence in Teaching Award Stanford, CA Stanford University Department of Biology Jun 2021

BioAIMS Community Grant Stanford, CA Biomedical Association for the Interest of Minority Students, $700 Jun 2020

PUBLICATIONS

(* notes undergraduate author, † notes coauthorship)

7. Billie C. Goolsby, Melody J. Dailey*, Luis A. Coloma, Lauren A. O’Connell (2025). Poison frogs. PMID: 41203861.

6. Sarah Ludington*, Jordan E. McKinney*, Julie M. Butler, Billie C. Goolsby, Ashlyn A. Callan*, Maiah Gaines-Richardson, Lauren A. O’Connell. (2024). Activity of forkhead box P2-positive neurons is associated with tadpole begging behaviour. PMID: 39317327.

5. Amaris R. Lewis*†, Billie C. Goolsby†, Bryan H. Juarez, Madison P. Lacey, Lauren A. O’Connell. (2024). Infanticide is driven by unfamiliarity with offspring location and associated with androgenic shifts in mimic poison frogs. PMID: 39484385.

4. Billie C. Goolsby, E. Jordan Smith, Isabella B. Muratore, Zach N. Coto, Mario L. Muscedere, James F. A. Traniello. (2024). Differential neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and behavioral impacts of early-age isolation in a eusocial insect. PMID: 38857586.

3. Tony G. Chen, Billie C. Goolsby, Guadalupe Bernal*, Lauren A. O’Connell, & Mark R. Cutkosky. (2023). Feed me: robotic infiltration of poison frog families.. ISSN: 1611-3349

News Feature: https://phys.org/news/2023-06-parenting-behavior-poison-frogs-tadpole-like.html

2. Billie C. Goolsby†, Marie-Therese Fischer†, Daniela Pareja-Mejia, Amaris R. Lewis*, Gaelle Raboisson, Lauren A. O’Connell. (2023). Home security cameras as a tool for behavior observations and science affordability. PMID: 37131676. 

1. Jessica P. Nowicki, Camilo Rodríguez, Julia C. Lee*, Billie C. Goolsby, Chen Yang, Thomas A. Cleland, Lauren A. O’Connell. (2024). Physiological state matching in a pair bonded poison frog. PMID: 39076367.

Protocols and Teaching Materials

3. Billie C. Goolsby, A. Zach Reddy, Melody Joy Dailey, Adithi S. Rao, Lauren A. O’Connell. (2025). RNAscope Multiplex Fluorescent V2 Labeling of frog brains. protocols.io dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.261ge874dg47/v8

2. Billie C. Goolsby, Iris N. Mollhoff. bioBUDS: How to Read a Paper. (2023). bioBUDS: Building Up Developing Scientists, QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/ZMZ5-X720 

1. Billie C. Goolsby, Tony Chen, Daniel Shaykevich, Marie-Therese Fischer, Lauren A O'Connell. (2024). Optimizing image resolution of wyze camera trap recordings. protocols.io dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.dm6gp3p38vzp/v1

PUBLICATIONS IN PREPARATION

(* notes undergraduate author, † notes coauthorship)

3. Yunming Wu†, Prateek Kalakuntla†, Billie Goolsby†, Yanay Rosen, Alyssa Hayashi, Guang Yang, Jessica Nowicki, Lindsay Sailer, David Kabelik, Alexander Ophir, Jaeyoon Lee, Robert C. Jones, Hongkui Zeng, Jure Leskovec, Stephen R. Quake, Lauren O’Connell, Bo Wang, Liqun Luo. Hypothalamic cell type evolution across vertebrate classes.  In preparation for Science.

2. Billie C. Goolsby, Tony G. Chen, Ashlyn A. Callan*, EmJ Rennich, Loranzie Rogers,  Penelope R. Baker*, Madison P. Lacey, Mark R. Cutkosky, Lauren A. O’Connell. Parent-offspring attachment in poison frogs rely on endogenous opioids. In prep.

1. Billie C. Goolsby†, Najva Akbari†,  Ashlyn A. Callan*, Marie-Therese Fischer, Alessandro Felder, Niko Sirmpilatze, Adam Tyson, Lauren A. O'Connell. 3D brain atlases for poison frogs reveal brain remodeling during metamorphosis. In prep. 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

California School for the Deaf Visiting science instructor quarterly, Jan 2020 - present

Stanford University

bioBUDS: Building Up Developing Scientists (cofounder) Jan 2020 - Jun 2024

Human Behavioral Biology (head TA, 600 students) Apr 2022

Introduction to Laboratory Research in Cell and Molecular Biology Jan 2021

Human Behavioral Biology Apr 2020

Boston University

Advanced General Chemistry with Quantitative Analysis Labs Aug 2016 - May 2017

OUTREACH ACTIVITIES & COMMUNITY ADVOCACY

Society for Neuroscience

Panelist, Disabled in Neuroscience Webinar Mar 2025

California School for the Deaf

Visiting science instructor quarterly, Jan 2020 - present

Stanford University

Graduate Student Representative, Task Force on Students with Disabilities Oct 2021 - Jul 2022

Executive Fellow, Associated Students of Stanford University Jan 2021 - Jul 2021

Graduate Coalition for Disability and Chronic Illness, cofounder Jan 2020 - present

Community Associate for Graduate Student Housing (~800 residents) Jan 2020 - present

Stanford Leland Scholars Program Event Coordinator Summers 2020-2023

Stanford Splash Science Outreach Aug 2019

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS (15+ total)

(* notes undergraduate author,  † notes dual authorship)

Ashlyn Callan*†, Billie Goolsby†, Sunishka Thakur, Najva Akbari,  Marie-Therese Fischer, Alessandro Felder, Niko Sirmpilatze,  Brittany Hamauei, Adam Tyson, Molly Cummings, Lauren A. O'Connell. “Developing 3D brain atlases in emerging research organisms,” 15th International Congress of Neuroethology, Berlin, Germany. July 2024. Talk. 

Goolsby, B., Chen, T., Callan, A.*, Rogers, L., Butler, J., Cutkosky, M., O’Connell, L “The Neural Basis of Parent-Offspring Communication in Poison Frogs,” 15th International Congress of Neuroethology, Berlin, Germany. July 2024. Talk.

Goolsby, B., Chen, T., Callan, A.*, Rogers, L., Butler, J., Cutkosky, M., O’Connell, L. “Hungry Hungry Tadpoles: Begging influences Behavioral and Neural Response in Poison Frog Parents,” Society for Comparative and Integrative Biology, Seattle, WA. January 2024. Talk.

Goolsby, B., Soong, M.*, Baker, P. *, Butler, J., and O’Connell, L. “Family decision-making in a poison frog,” Animal Behavior Society, Portland, OR. July 2023. Talk.

GENOME CONTRIBUTIONS (in collaboration with Vertebrate Genomes Project and NCBI)

Amphibia, Anura, Ranitomeya imitator (GCF_032444005.1) 2024

Amphibia, Anura, Ranitomeya variabilis (GCF_051348905.1) 2025

Actinopteri, Chaetodontiformes, Chaetodon auriga (GCF_051107435.1) 2025

Actinopteri, Chaetodontiformes, Chaetodon trifascialis (GCF_039877785.1) 2025

Aves, Galliformes, Excalfactoria chinensis (GCF_039878825.1) 2025

Mammalia, Rodentia, Microtus pennsylvanicus (GCF_037038515.1) 2025