My lab’s research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate presynaptic release from dopaminergic and central cholinergic neurons, and their implications for disorders associated with those neurotransmitter systems. We take advantage of the excellent molecular-genetic tools available in Drosophila to advance our understanding of how specific vesicular transporters regulate neurotransmitter loading and release, and the functional implications of those events.

Training and mentoring students and scholars, including those from under-represented backgrounds, at all levels in the biomedical research space is integral to my lab’s focus. My overall career goal is to make significant contributions to the basic biology of neurotransmitter release from the central nervous system; to use that knowledge to help develop viable therapeutic strategies for associated disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and to accomplish both goals by leading an ethnically and culturally diverse team of talented investigators.