The Neurobiology emphasis area focuses on molecular and cellular approaches to elucidate the basic functions of neurons and neural networks. Neurons can last a lifetime and have highly complex anatomy and synaptic connections. This presents unique challenges for the development, function, and maintenance of nervous systems.
Students in the Neurobiology emphasis area use molecular, cellular, and genetic approaches to investigate key properties of neurons, neural networks, and the relationships between neuronal function and behavior.
Related Faculty
Nikki Crowley
- Director, Penn State Neuroscience Institute – University Park
- Huck Chair in Neural Engineering
Investigation of peptidergic transmission throughout the brain, using cell-specific and pathway-specific manipulations to. . .
Timothy Currier
- Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Joining the Huck in January 2027. Open to taking graduate students. Developmental mechanisms that build properly functioning. . .
Patrick Drew
- Associate Director, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Professor of Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Engineering Science and Mechanics, and Neurosurgery
Optical imaging of brain dynamics during sleep and behavior; Role of blood flow and cerebrospinal fluid movement in. . .
Santhosh Girirajan
- Professor of Genomics
- Professor of Anthropology
Understanding the genetic basis of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Thomas Gould
- Jean Phillips Shibley Professor and Department Head of Biobehavioral Health
Using genetic, pharmacological, behavioral, and molecular biological techniques to study the neurobiology of learning and. . .
Joshua Gross
- Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Biobehavioral Health
Cellular- and transgenic mouse model-based approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms of G protein-coupled receptor. . .
Timothy Jegla
- Emphasis Area Representative, Molecular and Evolutionary Genetics
- Associate Professor of Biology
Functional evolution of eukaryotic ion channels and evolution of neuronal signaling and cell structure.
Janine Kwapis
- Director of the Center for Molecular Investigation of Neurological Disorders
- Associate Professor of Biology
Molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying learning and memory and age-related memory impairments.
Zhi-Chun Lai
- Emphasis Area Representative, Cell and Developmental Biology
- Professor of Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Signal Transduction, Growth Control, and Cancer Genetics
Yingwei Mao
- Professor of Biology
Regulation of neurogenesis using cellular and mouse models; analysis of abnormal neural progenitor cell (NPC) proliferation. . .
Richard Ordway
- Professor of Molecular Neuroscience and Genetics
Genetic analysis of neural function.
David Puts
- Huck Associate Director for Graduate Education
- Professor of Anthropology
Understanding both the endocrine mechanisms underlying human sexual differentiation and the evolution of these mechanisms,. . .
Melissa Rolls
- Lead Huck Graduate Chair
- Chair, Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences
Subcellular compartmentalization of neurons. The cellular basis of neuronal polarity and neuronal responses to injury. . .
Carly Schissel
- Assistant Professor of Chemistry
The discovery, design, and synthesis of bioactive peptides with unusual amino acids and structures to create novel peptides. . .
Grayson Sipe
- Assistant Professor of Biology
Studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive brain state shifts, which are crucial for understanding maladaptive. . .
Moriah Szpara
- Professor of Biology
How genetic variation influences the outcomes of viral infection, particularly for neurotropic viruses such as herpes simplex. . .
Yogasudha Veturi
- Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health and of Statistics
Developing novel statistical and machine learning methods to better understand shared genetics between complex human diseases. . .
Ruobo Zhou
- Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Quantitatively and functionally understanding the compartmentalization and spatiotemporal organization of protein-protein and. . .