By way of my training, my career started at the University of Miami Miller School of medicine (2006-2008) where I worked on leveraging the neuroregenerative properties of Schwann cells to achieve functional recovery following spinal cord injury. Then, at The Scripps Research Institute (2008-2013), I worked on mechanisms of addiction and pharmacology and identified the insulinotropic peptide, GLP-1, as a regulator of nicotine satiety. I completed my postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School (2013-2019), where I developed in vivo tools for epigenetic profiling of dopamine neurons, where we identified the transcription factor, Gmeb1, as a master switch for dopamine neuron gene expression and function. Combining my areas of expertise, my laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular and epigenetic underpinnings of addictive disorders by employing a diverse array of techniques, including in vivo gene editing, rodent models of IV drug self-administration, virus-based nuclear capture tools for low-input chromatin and transcriptome profiling of genetically-defined neuronal and microglial populations, and optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches for neural circuit control of complex behaviors. I currently serve as PI on an Avenir Award for Genetics or Epigenetics in Substance Use Disorders (DP1 – NIH Director’s Pioneer Award).
