About

I am currently an NINDS K00 postdoctoral research fellow in the Datta Lab at Harvard Medical School, where I leverage deep learning techniques, molecular biology, and systems neuroscience to investigate how steroid hormones modulate neural circuits.

Previously, I earned my Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at UC Santa Barbara, where I was advised by Dr. Michael Goard. My doctoral research employed in vivo two-photon microscopy to investigate how endogenous hormone cycles drive changes in spatial representations and neuronal morphology in the hippocampus.

Research

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  Endocrine-modulated hippocampal plasticity

  The hippocampus is densely populated with estrogen receptors, and ex vivo work has shown that the spines on apical CA1 pyramidal cell dendrites change with estrogen. What does that mean for function across the estrous cycle and pregnancy? Longitudinal in vivo imaging of dendritic spines in densely sampled mice, paired with analysis of spatial representations, shows that both neuronal morphology and spatial navigation are modulated by sex steroid hormone fluctuations.

  • Two-photon imaging
  • Hippocampus
  • Dendritic spines
  • Estrous cycle

  Read the paper in Neuron

• 

  Automated classification of estrous cycle stage

  Estrous phase is identified by vaginal lavage and cytology, but manual classification is error-prone, and fast, accurate staging is critical for neuroendocrine research. EstrousNet is a deep learning pipeline for unbiased classification. To mimic human classification more closely, it fits test images to an archetypal estrous cycle, which avoids common confusion errors. Its classifications surpass expert accuracy and speed.

  • Deep learning
  • MATLAB
  • Open-source software

  Read the paper in Scientific ReportsGet EstrousNet on GitHub

• Neural basis of spontaneous behavior

  Datta Lab, Harvard Medical School (current)

  In my current role I am using single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate how steroid hormones modulate sensory representations. By pinpointing the molecular changes in olfactory sensory neurons driven by steroids, we can identify cortical areas that are longitudinally remodeled by these hormones.

  • scRNA-seq
  • Two-photon imaging
  • Behavioral analysis

  Visit the Datta Lab website

Publications

• The estrous cycle modulates hippocampal spine dynamics, dendritic processing, and spatial coding

  Wolcott, N. S., Redman, W. T., Karpinska, M., Jacobs, E. G., & Goard, M. J. Neuron (2025)

  PDF

• Long-term transverse imaging of the hippocampus with glass microperiscopes

  Redman, W. T., Wolcott, N. S., Montelisciani, L., Luna, G., Marks, T. D., Sit, K. K., Yu, C.-H., Smith, S., & Goard, M. J. eLife (2022)

  PDF

• Automated classification of estrous stage in rodents using deep learning

  Wolcott, N. S., Sit, K. K., Raimondi, G., Hodges, T., Shansky, R. M., Galea, L. A. M., Ostroff, L. E., & Goard, M. J. Scientific Reports (2022)

  PDF

• High-fat food biases hypothalamic and mesolimbic expression of consummatory drives

  Mazzone, C. M., Liang-Guallpa, J., Li, C., Wolcott, N. S., Boone, M. H., Southern, M., Kobzar, N. P., Salgado, I. de A., Reddy, D. M., Sun, F., Zhang, Y., Li, Y., Cui, G., & Krashes, M. J. Nature Neuroscience (2020)

  PDF

• Bringing immersive science to undergraduate laboratory courses using CRISPR gene knockouts in frogs and butterflies

  Martin, A., Wolcott, N. S., & O’Connell, L. A. Journal of Experimental Biology (2020)

  PDF

See all publications on Google Scholar

Science Communication

Selected oral presentations

• Wolcott, N., Jacobs, E. & Goard, M. (2025, June). Dynamic endocrine factors modulate hippocampal structure and function. Society for Women’s Health Research Symposium, Albuquerque, NM.

• Wolcott, N., Jacobs, E. & Goard, M. (2023, May). Chronic recording of hippocampus reveals sex differences in spatial navigation circuitry. Organization for the Study of Sex Differences, Calgary, Alberta, CA.

• Wolcott, N., Redman, W., Sit, K., Goard, M. (2022, October). Investigating the role of steroid hormones in hippocampal plasticity. MCDB/BMSE 25th Annual Symposium, Santa Barbara, CA.

• Wolcott, N. (2021, June). Mechanisms of tau accumulation in hippocampus. Lemelson Institute Biogen-MIT Biotech in Action, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA.

Selected poster presentations

• Wolcott, N., Redman, W., Jacobs, E. & Goard, M. (2024, October). The estrous cycle modulates hippocampal spine dynamics and spatial coding. Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.

• Wolcott, N., Redman, W. & Goard, M. (2024, March). Hippocampal spatial representations are modulated by cyclic endocrine factors. CoSyNe, Lisbon, Portugal.

• Wolcott, N., Jacobs, E. & Goard, M. (2023, May). Chronic recording of hippocampus reveals sex differences in spatial navigation circuitry. Organization for the Study of Sex Differences, Calgary, Alberta, CA.

Writing and media

• Commencement Spotlight (opens in a new tab) Retrospective interview from the graduate division highlighting Lancaster Dissertation Award winners. UCSB Graduate Division2025
• Spatial learning circuitry fluctuates in step with estrous cycle in mice (opens in a new tab) A piece from The Transmitter spotlighting the Wolcott et al. Neuron paper and its impact. The Transmitter2025
• Women’s Neuro Network Neuroscientist of the Month (opens in a new tab) WNN Neuroscientist of the Month press release highlighting Wolcott et al.’s EstrousNet project. Women’s Neuro Network2022
• Opinion: Neuroscientists Need to Think About Sex (Bias) (opens in a new tab) Featured correspondent piece highlighting the need to reframe biological variability in neuroscience. The Scientist2021

Talks and outreach

• ThorLabs Multiphoton Imaging SymposiumOctober 2026
• UCSB Donors of Graduate Division SymposiumOctober 2025
• Night Lizard Brewing Company Science PubJuly 2024
• MCDB/BMSE 25th Annual SymposiumSeptember 2022
• Lemelson Institute Biogen-MIT SeriesJune 2021
• UCSB Grad SlamMarch 2021

Contact

I’m glad to talk about medical science liaison roles in women’s health, collaborations, or speaking. Email is the best way to reach me.

CV