overview

Our research focuses on three areas:

(i) vertebrate embryogenesis - how do signals, non-coding RNAs, and chromatin influence the fate and movement of cells?

(ii) sensory neuron development and function - how does an organism sense potentially harmful stimuli?

(iii) sleep and wakefulness - what are the genes and circuits that regulate sleep?

We mainly use zebrafish as a model system, because genetic and imaging approaches can be combined to study complex behaviors and developmental processes in a vertebrate.