Developmental Biology and Neurobiology
Many themes of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) are woven into the department’s research contributions in neurobiology. Faculty in BMB study the molecular processes that underlie the development of the nervous system, as well as how these processes can go awry due to genetic variations or infectious diseases. Faculty research in neurobiology reaches from human clinical studies to model organisms and cell-based studies, using methods that include molecular, genetic, biochemical, and computational methods to advance neurobiology research at Penn State.
Santhosh Girirajan's Research Interest:
Genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Ying Gu's Research Interest:
The utilization of biochemical, molecular genetics, and
spectroscopic approaches to decipher mechanisms of
cellulose biosynthesis.
Wendy Hanna-Rose's Research Interest:
We use genetic and metabolomics approaches in C. elegans
to model inborn errors of metabolism and probe
the molecular links between metabolic
perturbations and animal behavior and physiology.
Zhi-chun Lai's Research Interest:
Growth Control and Cancer Genetics.
Melanie McReynold's Research Interest:
The understanding of the biochemistry behind aging,
and its intersection with stress, with the
long-term goal of identifying strategies that
promote healthier aging.
Robert F. Paulson's Research Interest:
The mechanism of tissue regeneration using the response
to anemia as a model system.
Melissa Rolls' Research Interest:
The Rolls lab aims to understand how neurons generate axons
and dendrites with different microtubule organization, and
how neurons respond to injury. Current projects focus on
mechanisms that control microtubule polarity and dynamics
and mechanisms that promote neuronal regeneration.
Lorraine Santy's Research Interest:
We study the signal transduction and vesicular
trafficking processes that promote migration in
epithelial cells. We seek to understand the role
of these processes in normal homeostasis and in
pathological processes.
Scott B. Selleck's Research Interest:
Nervous system development and molecular mechanisms of
neurodegenerative disorders.