Credit: Craig Montell

How does the nervous system actually work? NRI investigators employ the sophisticated tools of modern molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, microscopy, electrophysiology, and biophysics to investigate this fundamental question. How do critical neuronal molecules regulate the complex molecular and cellular environment to enable proper neuronal function? How do cells of the nervous system communicate with one another?

Researchers

Dennis Clegg

Professor
Wilcox Family Chair in BioMedicine
Dr Clegg's research focuses on developing cures for blindness using embryonic, iPS, and adult stem cells.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Development of the Nervous System
Stem Cells
The Visual System

Peter Coffey

Researcher
Two major groups of diseases termed retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration are the leading causes of blindness.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Development of the Nervous System
Stem Cells
The Visual System

Adele Doyle

Assistant Professor
Neural & cardiovascular tissue engineering/regenerative medicine. Stem cells, mechanobiology, molecular control systems.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Computational & Theoretical Neuroscience
Development of the Nervous System
Stem Cells
Systems Neuroscience & Imaging Neural Activity
Tools & Technology Development

Stuart Feinstein

Co-Director, NRI
Professor
Normal and Pathological Action of the Microtubule-Associated Protein Tau; Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Steven Fisher

Professor Emeritus
Structure and function in the vertebrate retina with an emphasis on mechanisms underlying photoreceptor degeneration and the role of glial cells in normal and injured or diseased retina.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Stem Cells
The Visual System

Michael Goard

Assistant Professor
The overarching goal of my research is to better understand how the mammalian neocortex processes and stores incoming sensory information.
Behavioral Neuroscience & Neuroethology
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Systems Neuroscience & Imaging Neural Activity
The Visual System

Skirmantas Janusonis

Associate Professor
Spatial and temporal organization of stochastic axon systems in the brain.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Computational & Theoretical Neuroscience
Development of the Nervous System

Mary Ann Jordan

Adjunct Professor Emeritus
Mechanism and regulation of microtubule polymerization and dynamics; mechanism of action of microtubule-targeted anticancer drugs and microtubule-regulatory proteins.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Sung Soo Kim

Assistant Professor
Neural circuit dynamics and behavior; navigation in a visual environment; neural mechanisms of object selection and decision-making.
Behavioral Neuroscience & Neuroethology
Computational & Theoretical Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience & Imaging Neural Activity
The Visual System

Kenneth Kosik

Co-Director NRI
Harriman Professor of Neuroscience
Neural plasticity including the molecular basis of plasticity, the evolution of synapses, and disease-related impairments of plasticity such as occurs in Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Development of the Nervous System
Stem Cells
Tools & Technology Development

John Lew

Associate Professor
Molecular mechanisms of signal transduction; Alzheimer's Disease and other protein aggregation/misfolding diseases; molecular biology, enzymology, and protein structure/function.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Dzwokai (Zach) Ma

Associate Professor
Trafficking regulation of receptors and channels in the nervous system.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Craig Montell

Duggan Professor and Distinguished Professor
Decoding the receptors and channels required for animal behavior in Drosophila and the mosquito, Aedes aegypti.
Behavioral Neuroscience & Neuroethology
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Systems Neuroscience & Imaging Neural Activity
The Visual System

Denise Montell

Duggan Professor and Distinguished Professor
Combination of molecular, genetic, and state-of-the-art imaging approaches to define and solve fundamental questions in cell and developmental biology with implications for neurodegenerative disease, ischemic diseases and cancer.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Development of the Nervous System
Stem Cells

Arnab Mukherjee

Assistant Professor
Genetically encoded biomolecular sensors for probing neural activity and cell function noninvasively in living animals using  magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Systems Neuroscience & Imaging Neural Activity
Tools & Technology Development

Stan Parsons

Professor Emeritus
Add Research Teaser.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Monte Radeke

Project Scientist
Add Research Teaser.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Development of the Nervous System
Stem Cells
The Visual System

Joel Rothman

Professor
Molecular and genetic analysis of development, stem cell biology, apoptosis, and behavior in the nematode C. elegans.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Behavioral Neuroscience & Neuroethology
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Development of the Nervous System
Stem Cells

Charles Samuel

Research Professor,
and C.A. Storke II Professor and Distinguished Professor, Emeritus
Antiviral innate immunity and interferon action, with focus on the roles of double-stranded RNA in translational control by the PKR kinase and A-to-I RNA editing by the ADAR1 deaminase.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Ikuko Smith

Assistant Professor
Information processing by neural circuitry with a special focus on the role of active dendrites in nonlinear modes of synaptic integration.
Behavioral Neuroscience & Neuroethology
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Systems Neuroscience & Imaging Neural Activity
The Visual System

Spencer LaVere Smith

Co-Director, UCSB Brain Initiative
Associate Professor
Neuroengineering multiphoton imaging systems. Studying how neurons and their networks compute. Mouse visual system, behavior, large scale networks with subcellular resolution.
Behavioral Neuroscience & Neuroethology
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Computational & Theoretical Neuroscience
Systems Neuroscience & Imaging Neural Activity
Tools & Technology Development
The Visual System

William Smith

Professor
We research in two primary areas: (1) the mechanisms of neural tube closure in Xenopus and Ciona; (2) and behavior and neural circuity in Ciona.
Behavioral Neuroscience & Neuroethology
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Development of the Nervous System

Megan Valentine

Professor
Prof. Valentine’s research focuses on the mechanics of cells and tissues and the design of bio-inspired materials.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System
Stem Cells
Tools & Technology Development

Carol Vandenberg

Professor Emeritus
Cell biology of the nervous system and muscle. Mechanisms of ion channel trafficking; function and regulation of potassium channels; polarized targeting of membrane proteins and neuronal cell polarity.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Thomas Weimbs

Professor
Molecular mechanisms underlying polycystic kidney disease, and SNARE fusion proteins.
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Leslie Wilson

Professor Emeritus
Mechanism and regulation of microtubule polymerization and dynamics; mechanism of action of microtubule-targeted anticancer drugs and microtubule-regulatory proteins.
Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System

Soojin Yi

Professor
An evolutionary biologist who uses genomic and epigenomic approaches.
Behavioral Neuroscience & Neuroethology
Cell Biology, Biochemistry & Biophysics of the Nervous System