Department Faculty

Primary Faculty

• Phil Haydon, Ph.D., Annetta and Gustav Grisard Professor and Chair, Department of Neuroscience, The regulation of synaptic transmission by glia and mechanistic studies of synaptogenesis by neuronal progenitors.

• Dan H. Cox, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Molecular and biophysical studies of ion channels.

• Gizem Donmez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Molecular mechanisms of brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

• Chris Dulla, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, The role of glutamate release and reuptake in shaping normal and pathological network function; Imaging neurotransmission.

• Kathleen Dunlap, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Graduate Neuroscience Program, Mechanisms of neurosecretion; modulation of calcium channels.

• F. Rob Jackson, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Center for Neuroscience Research, Genetic analysis of the nervous system and behavior (circadian rhythms) in Drosophila.

• Michele H. Jacob, Ph.D., Professor and Student Advisor, Graduate Neuroscience Program, Cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating neuronal synaptogenesis.

• Jamie Maguire, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, GABAergic regulation of neuronal excitability: focus on epilepsy and affective disorders.

• Stephen Moss, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Director of Corporate Alliances, The control of inhibitory neurotransmission, with emphasis on the construction and regulation of inhibitory synapses.

• Leon Reijmers, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Imaging, analysis, and manipulation of neurons involved in memory storage.

• Maribel Rios, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Genetic analysis of neurotrophic functions; regulation of affective behavior, food intake and metabolic function by brain derived neurotrophic factor.

• Giuseppina Tesco, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Production of amyloid-beta in brain cells during the development of Alzheimer's disease.

• Yongjie Yang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Neuron to astrocyte interaction, astrocyte dysfunction in neurodegeneration/injury, glutamate transporter regulation.

Emeritus Faculty

• John S. Kauer, Ph.D., Professor, Structure and function of the olfactory system; development of an artificial nose.

• Suzanne Roffler-Tarlov, Ph.D., Professor, Catecholamines as developmental signals.

• Barbara R. Talamo, Ph.D., Professor, Neural regulation of target cell sensitivity; signal transduction in olfactory sensory neurons.

Secondary Faculty

• Robert Bridges, Ph.D., Professor, Hormone-mediated control of maternal behavior and behavioral plasticity.

• Elizabeth Byrnes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Transgenerational epigenetics and drug abuse; reproductive experience, stress, and anxiety; neuroendocrine regulation of maternal behavior.

• Alain Charest, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor, Brain cancer and pre-clinical applications in genetically engineered mouse models.

• Larry A. Feig, Ph.D., Professor, Ras and related GTP binding proteins in neuronal signaling.

• Eric Frank, Ph.D., Professor, Sensory neuron development and the establishment of synaptic connectivity in the spinal cord.

• Grace Gill, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Regulation of neuronal gene expression by post-translational modification of transcription factors.

• Daniel G. Jay, Ph.D., Professor, Biochemistry of Neural Development.

• Peter Juo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Cell biology of the synapse; localization and regulation of synaptic proteins.

• Alan Kopin, M.D., Professor, Molecular analysis of G protein-coupled receptor structure and function.

• Rajendra Kumar-Singh, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Development and application of gene therapy vectors for retinal diseases.

• Ronald Lechan, MD, Ph.D., Professor, Anatomical connectivity and neuroendocrine regulation of the hypothalamus and pituitary.

• Janis Lem, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Retinal degeneration and phototransduction mechanisms.

• Laura Liscum, Ph.D., Professor, Cholesterol metabolism in Niemann-Pick C Disease.

• Phyllis Mann, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Hormonal effects on maternal behavior.

• Karina Meiri, Ph.D., Professor, Regulation of neuritogenesis, neuron differentiation and synapse formation.

• Klaus A. Miczek, Ph.D., Professor, Psychopharmacological studies of aggression, anxiety, and social stress.

• Emmanuel Pothos, Ph.D., Associate Professor, The basic mechanism of synaptic plasticity in the midbrain.

• Beverly S. Rubin, Ph.D., Professor, Reproductive neuroendocrinology, with emphasis on the neuroendocrine regulation of gonadotropin release and reproductive behaviors.

• James E. Schwob, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Regulation of neurogenesis in the mammalian olfactory epithelium.

• Barry A. Trimmer, Ph.D., Professor, Biochemistry of simple behaviors; neurotransmitter receptors of Manduca.

Research Assistant Professors

• Paul Davies, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor

• Yanmei Huang, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor

• Lakshmanan K. Iyer, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor

• Alenka Lovy-Wheeler, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor