Professional Snapshot
Honors and Awards
- Pioneer Awardee, NIH (2007)
- Scholar, McKnight Foundation (2006)
- Fellow, Klingenstein Foundation (2005)
- Burroughs-Wellcome Career Development Award, Burroughs-Wellcome Foundation (2000)
- Searle Scholar, Searle Foundation (2003)
Education & Community
Professional Education
- B.Sc., University of Alberta, Genetics (1990)
- M.Sc., University of Calgary, Medical Genetics (1992)
- Ph.D., Caltech, Biology (1998)
Postdoctoral Advisees
Sheetal Bhalerao, Damon Clark, Daryl Gohl, Alexander Katsov, Tina Schwabe, Mathias Wernet, Saskia de Vries
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Scientific Focus
Research Interests
My lab addresses two distinct questions. That is, how can precise patterns of neuronal connections be genetically programmed during development, and how, once formed, can such circuits be used to mediate complex visual behaviors? Using the fruit fly visual system as a model, we employ genetic approaches to manipulate the functions of genes and neurons. From this, we infer specific developmental roles for particular molecules, and infer specific computational roles for individual neurons.
Publications
- Reactive oxygen species act remotely to cause synapse loss in a Drosophila model of developmental mitochondrial encephalopathy. "Development" 2008 ; 15 2669-79
- Motion processing streams in Drosophila are behaviorally specialized. "Neuron" 2008 ; 2 322-35
- The cadherin Flamingo mediates level-dependent interactions that guide photoreceptor target choice in Drosophila. "Neuron" 2008 ; 1 26-33
- The mechanisms and molecules that connect photoreceptor axons to their targets in Drosophila. "Semin Cell Dev Biol" 2006 ; 1 42-9
- Liprin-alpha is required for photoreceptor target selection in Drosophila. "Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A" 2006 ; 31 11601-6
Help