My broad research interest is to study the development of inhibitory cortical circuits from migration and integration of interneurons to plasticity and function. During my current project, I discovered a mechanism by which acetylcholinergic neuromodulation shapes the integration of cortical Chandelier cells through activation of voltage-gated calcium channels. My long-term goal is to understand principles of the self-organization of inhibitory neural circuits in health and disease.
2013 - present
RESEARCH FELLOW
Max Planck Florida Institute, Jupiter, FL
Dr. Hiroki Taniguchi’s Laboratory - Development and Function of Inhibitory Neural Circuits
2009 - 2013
PHD, NEUROSCIENCE
Dissertation: “The role of the gene Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) during the tangential
migration of cortical interneurons in mice.”
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jurgen Bolz, Institute for general zoology and animal physiology,
Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
High honors.
2004 - 2009
DIPLOMA IN BIOLOGY
Diploma thesis: “Functional analysis of the Ephrin/Eph system during the tangential migration
of cortical interneurons.”
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Jurgen Bolz, Institute for general zoology and animal physiology,
Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany