Examining the cellular properties and circuitry of the adult cochlear nucleus in normal mice and after noise-induced hearing loss using electrophysiology and optogenetics. Research geared towards understanding the cellular changes following deafness, how these may impact cochlear implants, and how central processing underlies tinnitus.

Using optogenetics and pharmacology to investigate the circuitry of the dorsal cochlear nucleus and how it is altered by age, disease, and hearing loss.

Developed and engineered novel implant for recording and stimulation of the cervical spinal cord in ratPerform neurosurgery and long-term in vivo recordings from rat cortex and spinal cordDesigned custom circuit boards for multi-electrode recording arrays, surgical devices and accessories, as well as long-term rat behavioral habitats Responsible for oversight of all animal-related activities in the lab including rat behavior and training, spinal and neural surgical implants, daily stimulation and recording, and interactions with veterinary staff Lead all lab daily activities including research development, experiment design and follow through, budgeting and purchasing, grant writing, and paper reviewsResponsible for the oversight and management of 5-10 laboratory workers, including postgraduate fellows, graduate students and techniciansResponsible for communicating with and meeting requirements pertaining to IACUC inspections and IRB reviews assuring that the lab is meeting all requirements, including drafting and updating all lab protocols, documents and applications.Primary lead in collaborations with other labs, teaching new techniques and setting up an entire duplicate surgical suite at

Developed the first successful system for whole-cell patch-clamp recording of individual thalamocortical neurons from adult mouse brain slicesIdentified the ion channels regulating threshold, firing gain, and maximum firing rate of thalamocortical neuronsUtilized electrophysiological recordings to identify the Kv4.2 potassium channel upregulated following epileptic seizures in thalamocortical neurons, resulting in abnormal neuronal functionWrote software to automatically detect and analyze properties of thalamocortical action potentials (MATLAB)Patch-clamp recordings of synaptic retinogeniculate currents from adult mouse brain slices

Re-engineered proprietary software to perform extracellular field and whole-cell patch-clamp recording for experiments examining synaptic physiology of rat and mouse hippocampus by developing code for acquisition and analysis of electrophysiological data in multiple programming languages, including axobasic and DAMIdentified an metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent form of long-term depression with properties distinct from agonist-induced long-term depression in the juvenile hippocampus.Worked in conjunction with other scientists in examining the physiological properties of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in a genetically altered mouseImmunohistochemistry in slices and cultured neuronsPresented research work at numerous meetings for the Society For Neuroscience and other foundations, utilizing both poster and slide talk formats Member of the Division of Neuroscience Admissions Committee - responsible for recruitment and admissions decisionsCellular Neurophysiology II Teaching Assistant (under Prof. Daniel Johnston)AWARDS AND MEMBERSHIPSNRSA Pre-doctoral Fellowship - "Mechanisms of Nicotine Addiction: The Ventral Tegmental Area." Funded by NIDA