Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Graduate Student, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology

Thesis Title: Sensory Neurogenetics of Drosophila Olfaction

About

I have just begun a four year PhD in Systemic Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Munich in affiliation with the Graduate School of Systemic Neuroscience at LMU. I have a Masters style first year at LMU followed by three years of project work.

I am interested broadly in a systems approach to understanding mechanisms underlying brain function, from sensory information processing to cognition.

The basis of my interest in the brain is a desire to deconstruct the biological processes that lead to consciousness. Although the questions relating to consciousness as a whole are largely the domain of philosophy and cognitive science, contemporary neuroscience research is attmepting to place them at the heart of its enquiries to unravel the complexities of neural systems.

To this end my work will employ molecular genetic approaches in Drosophila melanogaster to alter endogenous neural circuitry and elicit measurable behavioral changes in response to olfactory stimuli.

The use of techniques such as 2-photon microscopy, electrophysiology, and behavioral assays will allow me to characterise olfactory circuits on a functional level.

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