Trained as a molecular and cellular biologist, I am interested in linking basic cellular mechanisms to broader evolutionary and developmentally relevant processes. For example, observations made largely within the past ten years have shown a direct connection between how unicellular organisms swim and how our nervous system functions. My lab studies the ‘hair like’ cellular appendages, called cilia or flagella, responsible for generating these motile- and sensory-specific functions. We are particularly interested in understanding how cilia/flagella function as sensory ‘antennae’ to facilitate cellular communication and to understand how ciliary gene regulation has evolved. Defects in these cellular structures have been implicated in a wide range of human genetic disorders, and this work has dissecting the molecular basis of conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and dyslexia.
