Veilleux Lab Members

The Veilleux Sensory Ecology & Anatomy Lab studies how ecology has shaped sensory systems across primates and other mammals, combining molecular, anatomical, and behavioral methods.

Current Lab Members

Brandon Vera

Research Specialist

Histology, immunohistochemistry, mechanoreceptor quantification, RNA isolation, morphometrics

Simon Weinzweig

AZCOM 29 student · KAS Fellow

Mechanoreceptor densities in the hands of three sympatric platyrrhine primates: Alouatta, Cebus, and Saimiri

Erin Donahue

AZCVM 29 student · Veterinary Scholar Fellow

Comparing Merkel cells, Meissner corpuscles, and Pacinian corpuscles in prehensile-tailed Alouatta, semi-prehensile-tailed Cebus, and non-prehensile-tailed Saimiri

Audry Wang

AZCVM 28 student · Veterinary Scholar Fellow

Comparing Merkel cells, Meissner corpuscles, and Pacinian corpuscles in the distal tail of diverse Costa Rican mammals, including opossums, tamandua, rodents, and carnivorans

Past Lab Members

• Nancy VoAZCOM 29 · 2026Fungiform papillae in wild mammal tongues
• Levi JensenAZCOM 28 · 2026Merkel cell distribution in primate lips
• QiQi ChenAZCOM 28 · 2025Histomorphology of sensory receptors in primate tongues
• Stephanie Kawamura, Aline Nguyen, Jasmine Cobos, & Cynthia RosenblattAZCVM 28 · 2025Comparative anatomy of the skin in procyonid carnivorans
• Emma Hinz & Emily Chung AZCVM 28 · 2025Comparative anatomy of the manus of two-toed and three-toed sloths
• Yessica Castro CazarezMBS Biomedical Sciences (Thesis) · 2025Density of Merkel cells in macaque skin: an immunohistochemical approach
• Annie PhanAZCOM 27 · 2024Histological study of mechanoreceptors in the macaque glabrous foot
• Aroub JamalAZCOM 27 · 2024Histological study of mechanoreceptors in the glabrous skin of macaque hands
• Jamie McDermottAZCOM 26 · 2023Effects of age and body geography on dermatoglyph features in macaque glabrous skin
• Moonis NadeemAZCOM 26 · 2023Age-related changes in salivary gene expression and tongue anatomy in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
• Thary ChengMBS Biomedical Sciences (Thesis) · 2023Relationship between gustin RNA levels and fungiform papillae density in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)
• Jordan KammingaAZCOM 25 · 2022Mechanoreceptor variation in glabrous and hairy skin in a primate model