Development of the mammalian inner ear, investigating cell fate decisions under the influence of signaling pathways.
The cochlea is an incredibly complex, but well-designed organ. Precise patterning across its width is linked to neural connections going to or from the brain. These different neurons serve, respectively, to convey sound to the brain, or to dampen the signal in the presence of very loud sounds. We are interested in how patterning is determined under the context of multiple signaling pathways.
2004-2009: Ph.D. Integrative Neuroscience (PULSe) Purdue University
Thesis: F-actin and NOXes have a synergistic relationship in Aplysia californica Neuronal Growth Cones.
Research advisor: Dr. Daniel M. Suter
2000-2004: B.A. Genetics (Highest Honors), Henry Rutgers Scholar, Rutgers University
Henry Rutgers Thesis: The role of PDZ Domain proteins in the localization of GLR-1 in Caenorhabditis
elegans. Research advisor: Dr. Christopher Rongo
June 2018 - Present: Assistant Professor, The Jackson Laboratory
July 2017- May 2018: Assistant Research Scientist, Purdue University, West Lafayette
September 2012- 2017: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Purdue University, West Lafayette
February 2010-August 2012: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Washington, Seattle