Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Banner
Credit: Gabriel Luna

 Research

The Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience research area is focused on using sophisticated tools from modern molecular and cellular biology to investigate how the nervous system functions at the microscopic scale.

This includes research into how neuronal molecules regulate the complex molecular and cellular environment to enable proper neuronal function, how cells of the nervous system communicate with one another, how neural structures develop from the embryo to the adult organism, and how molecular and cellular function is disrupted in disease states.

 Affiliated Faculty

Dennis Clegg

Professor
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Dr Clegg's research focuses on developing cures for blindness using embryonic, iPS, and adult stem cells.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Adele Doyle

Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Neural & cardiovascular tissue engineering/regenerative medicine. Stem cells, mechanobiology, molecular control systems.
Computational Neuroscience
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

Stu Feinstein

Professor
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Normal and Pathological Action of the Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau; Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Steven Fisher

Research Professor
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Structure and function in the vertebrate retina with an emphasis on mechanisms underlying photoreceptor degeneration and the role of glial cells in normal and injured or diseased retina.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Skirmantas Janusonis

Professor
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Spatial and temporal organization of stochastic axon systems in the brain.
Computational Neuroscience
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

Kenneth S. Kosik

Distinguished Professor
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Neural plasticity including the molecular basis of plasticity and neurodegenerative disease-related impairments related to plasticity and proteostasis. Neural development and evolution from a molecular and genetic perspective.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Matthieu Louis

Associate Professor
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Combining theory and experimentation to understand how navigational decisions come about in terms of neural-circuit computation.
Computational Neuroscience
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

Dzwokai (Zach) Ma

Associate Professor
Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
Mechanistic and functional study of viral host interaction.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Craig Montell

Distinguished Professor
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Molecular and cellular basis of animal behavior in flies and mosquitoes.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Denise Montell

Distinguished Professor
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Combination of molecular, genetic, and state-of-the-art imaging approaches to define and solve fundamental questions in cell and developmental biology with implications for neurodegenerative disease, ischemic diseases and cancer.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Arnab Mukherjee

Assistant Professor
Chemical Engineering
Neuroimaging, MRI, biochemical imaging of the GI tract.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Todd Oakley

Professor
Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology
Macroevolution, phylogenetics, bioluminescence, vision, molecular evolution, complexity, marine organismal biology.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Linda Petzold

Distinguished Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Computer Science
Computational methods, mathematical modeling, and machine learning, with application to a wide range of problems from systems biology, neuroscience and engineering.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

Benjamin Reese

Professor Emeritus
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Organization, development and plasticity of the retina and visual pathway.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

Joel Rothman

Distinguished Professor
Wilcox Family Chair in Biotechnology
Director, Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program
Regulation of development and differentiation; regulation of programmed cell death and cell division; mechanisms of tumorigenesis.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

William Smith

Professor
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
We research in two primary areas: (1) the mechanisms of neural tube closure in Xenopus and Ciona; (2) and behavior and neural circuity in Ciona.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

Karen K. Szumlinski

Professor
Psychological & Brain Sciences
Dr. Szumlinski’s major research interest concerns the biochemical mechanisms underlying the changes in brain and behavior produced by chronic exposure to drugs of abuse, in particular psychomotor stimulants and alcohol.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Ambuj Singh

Professor
Computer Science
Data-centric modeling of systems and he focuses on the development of new methods that can be applied to real-world applications.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

Luke Theogarajan

Professor
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Novel reporters for neural activity, CMOS image sensors and circuits for neurotechnology.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Computational Neuroscience
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Systems and Circuits Neuroscience

Megan Valentine

Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanics of cells and tissues; design of bio-inspired materials with applications to packaging, healthcare and robotics; instrument development.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Thomas Weimbs

Professor
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Molecular mechanisms underlying polycystic kidney disease, and SNARE fusion proteins.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Leslie Wilson

Research Professor
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Mechanism and regulation of microtubule polymerization and dynamics; mechanism of action of microtubule-targeted anticancer drugs and microtubule-regulatory proteins.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

Max Wilson

Assistant Professor
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Combines tools from Biology, Engineering, and Physics to understand the cell’s perceptual field.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience