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Principal Investigator
Lisa Goodrich Postdoctoral Fellows Austen Sitko Lauren Kreeger Gabriel Enrique Romero Joy Franco Zack DeLoughery Isle Bastille Mariah Hazlett Graduate Students Olubusola Olukoya Taylor Copeland Katelyn C. Boulanger Cynthia Moncada-Reid Jessica Dixon Yi-Chia Huang Summer Research Students Melanie Andrade-Muñoz Staff Sydney Rees Collier Ryan Merrow Former Lab Members |
Research Interests:
My research interests center around the development of the nervous system- a process that is crucially consistent and massively complex. Billions of neurons form long-range connections by sending wire-like projections called axons through the dynamic landscape of the developing embyro. These axons receive information from the environment around them to tell them where to grow to reach their synaptic target. This information can be presented to axons in the form of long-range secreted molecules, short-range membrane or matrix-bound molecules, and even physical properties of the substrate an axon extends on can play a part in robust, high-fidelity axon guidance. I am interested in the interplay between neurons and glia, and how each of these cell types aid each other's proper development. In the cochlea, glial precursor cells serve as a scaffold for spiral ganglion neuron outgrowth towards the organ of Corti. With the aid of powerful single-cell deep-sequencing data, mouse genetics, and live imaging, I aim to explore nature of the interaction between neurons and glia in the developing ear and visualize the cooperation between these cells in real time. Fun Facts:
What superpower do you wish you had? I wish I had the power to see at microscopic resolutions with my own eyes. A huge, wild part of our world is invisible to us! What fictional universe would you like to visit or be a part of? I would take a tour of Middle Earth, perhaps after the chaos of the first three Ages, to watch the early days of the fourth unfold. |
