I was a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Hughey, Johnson, and McMahon Labs. I received my BS in Behavioral Neuroscience from Northeastern University in 2012, and my PhD in Neuroscience from Vanderbilt University in 2019.

My research is focused on circadian biology, particularly on the lasting effects of different types of light exposure on the circadian system of mammals. While as an experimental biologist I spend time addressing questions at the behavioral, physiological, and cellular levels, I am also passionate about building reliable, specialized analysis tools for researchers in my field.

Beyond science, I spend my time playing hockey and tennis, baking and cooking, and completing and constructing crossword puzzles.

I departed the Hughey Lab in January 2021 to (finally) begin my postdoc in Mitch Lazar’s lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

Optogenetic stimulation of VIPergic SCN neurons induces photoperiodic-like changes in the mammalian circadian clock, Tackenberg et al., Eur J Neurosci 2021

The risks of using the chi-square periodogram to estimate the period of biological rhythms, Tackenberg and Hughey, PLOS Comput Biol 2021

Distinct components of photoperiodic light are differentially encoded by the mammalian circadian clock, Tackenberg et al., J Biol Rhythms 2020

Tau-independent Phase Analysis: A Novel Method for Accurately Determining Phase Shifts, Tackenberg et al., J Biol Rhythms 2018