Current lab members
Chris Doe, Principle Investigator
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Chris Doe investigates central nervous system (CNS) development. His lab is currently interested in (1) asymmetric cell division and self-renewal/differentiation of Drosophila neural stem cells, (2) temporal identity programs used to generate an ordered series of neural progeny from a single progenitor, (3) the generation of interneuron diversity and establishment of neural circuits that drive larval locomotion, and (4) the use of TU tagging—a method for covalently labeling nascent RNA in specific cell types within intact tissues—to identify temporally regulated or activity-regulated RNAs in the mouse CNS.
Postdoc’s
Kristen Lee
PostDoc
Research Interests: During development, transcription factors regulate neuronal specification - i.e. fate, neuronal morphology, neuronal subtypes and terminal gene expression - thus contributing to the vast diversity of neurons in the mature brain. I am interested in understanding if, and how, the mechanisms used to generate neuronal identity are also used to form and maintain neural circuits throughout life. In addition to circuit establishment during development, I will investigate whether the transcriptional profile required for neural circuit formation persists throughout life, and also regulates circuit re-establishment after periods of remodeling.
chundi xu
PostDoc
Research Interests: Neuron identity is determined upon its birth. My interest is to identify the gene program controlling neuron identity (e.g. morphology, synaptic connectivity, electrophysiological property)
Graduate students
Heather Pollington
Graduate Student
Research Interests: The central nervous system is comprised of a highly diverse population of neurons, which allows for proper circuit assembly and function. In the Drosophila ventral nerve cord, there is an array of factors that generate molecularly unique neurons. I am interested in how a class of molecules, known as temporal transcription factors, and Notch signaling, promote unique neuron identity (i.e. molecular, morphology, connectivity, and electrophysiological function) that allows for the generation of functional neural circuits.
Noah Dillon
Graduate Student
Research Interests: The Drosophila central brain is comprised of a diverse set of neurons. My interest is looking at how these neurons are specified through temporally expressed mechanisms in neural stem cells (neuroblasts).
research specialists, administrative staff and mascot
Zia, lab mascot
Undergrads
Amanda Linskens - Tyler Ramos - Alanna Sowles - Sonja Zolnoski