I launched my independent research program as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Neuroscience and Neurology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2024. My work focuses on defining the functional organization of brainstem motor circuits and how these networks implement movement. By dissecting the logic of these circuits, my lab aims to uncover principles of motor control that can inform new approaches to treating movement disorders.
This research has been supported by fellowships from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), and the Lundbeck Foundation, and recognized through awards including the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the Stanley Fahn Junior Faculty Award (Parkinson’s Foundation), and the CJ Herrick Award in Neuroanatomy (American Association of Anatomy).
I received my Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Technological University and earned my PhD in Neuroscience from Case Western Reserve University in 2018 under the mentorship of Drs. Jerry Silver and Lynn T. Landmesser. My doctoral work combined electrophysiological and molecular approaches to investigate the neural control of respiration. As a postdoctoral fellow in Ole Kiehn’s laboratory at the University of Copenhagen, I expanded this work to examine brainstem circuits governing locomotion and behavior.
Outside the laboratory, I find joy and balance in music and nature. As an amateur violinist, I love to draw connections between music and motor precision. Cross-country skiing offers a tranquil retreat into the wild, with its rhythmic motions mirroring the coordination of movement central to my research.
