Sandeep Datta, M.D., Ph.D.
Sandeep Datta, MD, PhD – Faculty Profile
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Name: Sandeep Datta, MD, PhD.
Title: Professor of Neurobiology, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School.
The Aim
The Datta lab studies how sensation and cognition are used by the brain to support natural behavior.
The Impact
Humans, like all animals, are constantly sensing their environments and responding based on curiosity, experience, and goals. Observing how model organisms explore and behave gives us a clearer picture of how behavior is shaped by both the outside world and internal states. This helps us understand how the brain learns, decides, and chooses behaviors, and may one day lead to new insights into mental health, developmental disorders, and brain diseases which affect behavior.
A Closer Look
Article: Scientists Unveil “Long Lost” Map for Smell , The New York Times, April 29, 2026, by Emily Anthes. Scientists have created the first detailed maps of odor receptors in mouse noses, revealing a predictable spatial organization that could transform scientists’ understanding of how the sense of smell works.
Article: The Connections Between Smell, Memory, and Health , Harvard Medicine Magazine, April 2024. This article highlights the connection between our sense of smell and emotion and memory, a link which shapes our well-being and offers clues to understanding brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s.
Contact
Email:
srdatta@hms.harvard.edu
Lab website:
datta.hms.harvard.edu