My neuroscience research interests are fueled by the same intrinsic qualities that drive so many of us to bird watching. I am in awe of how complex, heterogeneous, and diverse cells in the brain are, and am inspired by the challenge of understanding their unique roles. Diversity is absolutely critical to the resilience and adaptability of any ecosystem. I think of the brain as an ecosystem in this way, where its heterogeneous cellular make-up allows it to, under healthy conditions, change and adapt to meet the functional demands placed upon it. However, throughout the lifetime (and in many disease conditions) the cellular make-up of the brain is altered, resulting in diminished resilience and the development of maladaptive neural processes. The research questions I am most drawn to are those that appreciate and leverage the subtle cellular and circuit-level changes that underly pathologies, in particular those that underly learning and memory deficits. I am committed to developing techniques and technology that will allow us to better understand the real-time consequences of these subtle changes in activity.

I am currently an Instructor in Dr. Tristan Shuman’s lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.