Research Experience

I love neurons. I love how such a delicate creature created out of fat and water can develop its own identity amid millions of other such creatures. That identity is reflected in its precise morphological and biophysical features, as well as the connections it makes with other neurons. In that way, the neuron is like a great (or tiny) metaphor for  how we form out individualities as we navigate the world. I love how multiples of these fat and water tree-like structures can perform intense calculations much faster than we can, though we are so often entirely unaware of it. Yet, there’s still so much we don’t know about them. While we can study circuit wide phenomena and pinpoint areas of the brain and spinal cord essential for specific functions or behaviors, there is still so much undiscovered about these incredible, electrically active cells that compose the brain and nervous system. I want to answer questions regarding the secret, inner lives of neurons. What relationship do particular neurons have with their ER, their mitochondria, and their lysosomes? Understanding this “inner life” of neuronal biology will have vast ramifications, not only for understanding the functioning brain, but also when the nervous system goes awry.