Faculty Labs and Research

Dr. Ayers’ research focus is on the neuroethology of motor systems in invertebrates and lower vertebrates and the application of this knowledge to the development of advanced robots.

Dr. Brenhouse’s lab studies the dynamic interaction between the brain, the body, and the environment throughout early life and adolescent development. Using animal models with genetic, behavioral, and pharmacological manipulation, her laboratory investigates why later manifestation of mental illness occurs, and how we might prevent it.

Dr. Melloni studies the neurobiology of aggressive behavior. The main goal of this research is to understand how drug use and exposure to social stress during adolescence alter brain development and influence aggressive behavior.

Dr. Monaghan’s lab uses the axolotl salamander to investigate the cellular and molecular basis of complex tissue regeneration. Axolotls have the amazing ability to regenerate large portions of their limbs, tail, heart, and spinal cord. His lab studies the development and regeneration of the nervous system and limb and the interactions that take place between […]

Dr. O’Malley studies the computational capabilities of neuronal populations at the core of nervous systems, including everything from sensorimotor transformations to more complex behaviors. Current projects are aimed at understanding symbolic operations in mammalian cortex.

Stress-related mental illnesses like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are twice as common in women, but relevant pre-clinical research on the mechanisms of stress and fear has primarily been conducted in male animals. Our work explores the relationships between neural structure and function when both males and females experience aversive events, […]

Dr. Sikes specializes in the neurophysiology of the cingulate cortex; in particular, the role of cingulate cortex in pain sensation.  Research has included pathway investigation to understand pain information transmission, and now focuses on contrasting the effects of somatic and visceral noxious stimulation on cingulate neuron activity.

Motor skills such as throwing a ball, eating with knife and fork, or dancing are uniquely human and key to functional behavior. Optimizing the acquisition of skill and preventing or reverting the degradation of motor control requires rigorous quantitative understanding. The Action Lab analyzes how humans control their voluntary movements and how this control is […]

Our laboratory uses the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans as an in vivo system to explore how mechanical forces are sensed and interpreted by cells. We are collaborating with Dr. Hari Parameswaran’s group in Bioengineering to understand how cells in a tissue communicate and coordinate their contractility, and with Dr. Ronen Zaidel-Bar at Tel Aviv University to understand how the […]

The Ebong Lab studies the means by which endothelial cell mechanotransduction occurs in order to prevent or promote atherosclerosis.

The Godoy Lab seeks to understand the the mechanism(s) regulating the DNA damage response in bacteria. This mediates survival, antibiotic resistance, and bacterial development. We use as model systems opportunistic pathogens known to mediate persisten infections in hospitals, and in environmental isolates from the the extreme environments of the Atacama Desert and the Patagonia in […]

The Shefelbine Lab studies multiscale mechanics and musculoskeletal mechanobiology.