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Sliman Bensmaia
The University of Chicago
Assistant Professor
Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy
Committee on Computational Neuroscience
Committee on NeurobiologyResearch: When we interact with an object, much information about the object is conveyed through signals from the hand. Information about the shape of the object, its texture, its compliance, and its thermal properties is carried in the pattern of activity evoked in a variety of receptors embedded in the skin, the joints, and the muscles. We can often recognize an object simply on the basis of sensory signals emanating from our hands. Without this information, manipulating objects would be slow, clumsy, and effortful. Our goal is to characterize the sensory information originating from the hand and understand how this information is transformed in successive stages of processing. Our approach involves combining psychophysics, peripheral and cortical neurophysiology, and computational modeling. The goal is to discover the aspect of the neural response that accounts qualitatively and quantitatively for behavior at each stage of perceptual processing.
Website: http://bensmaialab.uchicago.edu
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Michael Coates
The University of Chicago
Professor
Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy
Committee on Evolutionary BiologyResearch: Vertebrate paleontology, comparative vertebrate morphology, phylogeny reconstruction, and evolutionary developmental biology. Early evolution of vertebrate groups: interrelationships of fishes, origin of modern vertebrate clades and morphological diversity.
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Christopher Gomez
The University of Chicago
Albina Y. Surbis Professor and Chair
Department of Neurologycgomez@neurology.bsd.uchicago.edu
Research: Dr. Gomez's research program concentrates on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease, with a particular focus on the means by which genetic mutations in ion channels or other essential proteins lead to dominantly inherited neurodegenerative diseases. His laboratory pursues two primary project avenues, one on the genetics and pathogenesis of the slow- channel syndrome, a model disease of excitatory synaptic degeneration, the other representing a similar focus on genetically-determined spinocerebellar ataxias and the correlations between ataxia genotype and neurological phenotype.
Website: http://neurology.uchicago.edu/Person.aspx?PersonID=109
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Melina Hale, IGERT Program Director
The University of Chicago
Associate Professor
The Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy
the Committees on Computational Neuroscience, NeurobiologyResearch: Our research integrates biomechanics and neurobiology to study how axial movements are generated and coordinated. Although we focus on the zebrafish larval stage as a model system, we also examine motor control through development and across the phylogeny of fishes. Of particular interest behaviorally are the startle response and rhythmic swimming behaviors of fishes. These behaviors provide excellent model systems for examining motor control and the mechanics of axial movement. Because the startle response involves a discrete behavior, large neurons and simple neural circuits, it has been important in studies of motor control. Because it is critical for survival and involves maximal performance, it has been important for work on muscle physiology and performance. Rhythmic axial and fin swimming has long been studied in lampreys and tadpoles to examine central pattern generation in spinal circuits and in a wide diversity of fishes to understand the relationship between morphology and movement.
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Mitra Hartmann
Northwestern University
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Mechanical Engineering. (50% - 50% joint appointment).
Member, Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience ProgramResearch:The neurobiology and biomechanics of active sensing behaviors
The long term research goal of our laboratory is to understand how sensory information acquired through movement is encoded and processed in the early stages of the nervous system. We use the rat whisker (vibrissal) system as a model because the neural processing pathways are analogous to human tactile pathways through the spinal cord, and because whiskers are relatively easy to observe and manipulate.
Understanding sensorimotor integration in the vibrissal system will provide considerable insight into the general functional principles that govern neural circuits mediating sensing and control. Our laboratory's research has therefore aimed to understand neural encoding and processing in the vibrissal system using both "bottom-up" and "top-down" approaches. Using the bottom-up approach our laboratory aims to characterize whisker mechanics and to quantify the physical variables that must be encoded by primary sensory neurons of the trigeminal pathway. Using the top-down approach our laboratory aims to carefully quantify rat exploratory behavior to place constraints on neural processing. Both approaches involve the development of innovative techniques to make the vibrissal system an increasingly accessible model system for study.
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Nicholas Hatsopoulos
The University of Chicago
Professor
Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy
Committee on Computational Neuroscience
Committee on NeurobiologyResearch: My research focuses on the neural basis of motor control and learning. I am investigating what features of motor behavior are encoded and how this information is represented in the collective activity of neuronal ensembles in the motor cortex. I am also interested in what way these representations change as motor learning occurs. To answer these questions, the electrical discharge of many motor cortical neurons is recorded on the statistical interactions among groups of neurons. The encoding properties of individual motor cortical neurons are being studied to determine how these single cell properties relate to higher-order representations involving groups of neurons. The possibility that changes in functional connectivity among neurons may occur during motor learning is also being explored. Finally, various decoding strategies are being developed by which the activities of neural ensembles can be used to predict the behavior of the animal. Ultimately, this research may lead to neural prosthetic technologies that will allow people with spinal injuries to use brain signals to control either a cursor on a computer screen, a robot arm, or even their own arm, thereby bypassing the injured spinal cord.
Website: http://pondside.uchicago.edu/oba/faculty/Hatsopoulos/lab/
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Robert Ho
The University of Chicago
Professor and Chair of Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy
Committee on Developmental Biology
Committee on Evolutionary Biology
Committee on GeneticsResearch: The theme of the work being performed in the laboratory is to address classical problems of vertebrate embryogenesis using modern techniques in the zebrafish embryo. The general goal is to gain insights into the cellular, molecular and genetic mechanisms leading to the assignment of cell fate and, ultimately, to the formation of a complex vertebrate body plan. We are especially interested in the processes leading to the specification of the embryonic body axes and how the movements of individual cells within the embryo influence/correlate with cell fate decisions.
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Derek Kamper
Illinois Institute of Technology
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical EngineeringResearch: My research interests lie in the field of rehabilitation, especially following neuromuscular injury that affects the hand. Currently, my studies have three main thrusts. The first entails a detailed analysis of the underlying mechanisms of impairment of the hand. This necessitates a second research area to describe how the hand functions when unimpaired. The final area uses the knowledge gained in the other two areas to develop devices and techniques to assist treatment or function.
Website: http://www.iit.edu/engineering/bme/faculty/kamper_derek.shtml, http://www.cinnresearch.org/Personnel/Kamper2.html
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Michael LaBarbera
The University of Chicago
Professor
The Departments of Organismal Biology and Anatomy and the Geophysical Sciences,
The Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The CollegeResearch: The research presently being conducted in my laboratory is focused on the experimental analysis of morphology. Using engineering theory in solid and fluid mechanics, hypotheses of the functional significance of a given morphology can be generated and tested against specific predictions derived from engineering theory. This method, by its nature, involving generating hypotheses of both the function of a morphology and the mechanism involved in carrying out that function, not only aids in the design of experiments to test a presumed function but also often leads to specific predictions of the behavior, ecology, or physiology of an animal, which then may also be tested. My students are continually working on a broad variety of problems, usually related to my own research only in that their problems involve biomechanics. Work performed under my supervision has ranged from the evolutionary history and mechanics of suspension feeling in stalked crimoids to the evolutionary history of murcid gastropods, the design of the vertebral ossicles in ophiuroids, the ontogeny of muscle systems and swimming in fish, and burrowing in limbless tetrapods.
Website: http://pondside.uchicago.edu/oba/faculty/labarbera_m.html
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Raphael Lee
The University of Chicago
The Departments of Surgery, Medicine, and Organismal Biology and Anatomy. The Committee on Molecular Medicine. Director, Chicago Electrical Trauma Program Professor in Surgery, as the first Paul and Allene Russell Professor
Research: Biological systems are able to survive in various conditions that cause disrupting of cell membranes and unfold (denature) proteins. Natural molecular repair strategies, including use of stress proteins, permit adaptation to these conditions. My research focuses on development of synthetic chaperones for purpose of repairing cells after injury. In particular, the focus is on use of multiblock copolymer surfactants for sealing of damaged cell membranes and use of copolymers to disaggregate and refold denatured proteins. We are developing these polymers to mimic behavior of natural stress proteins and membrane sealing mechanisms. Models used in the lab included in-vivo muscle electroporation injury as well as isolated muscle cells to study membrane transport. We are now using AFM and laser-tweezers to determine if changes in membrane tension preceed surfactant induced sealing.
Website: http://pondside.uchicago.edu/oba/faculty/lee_r.html
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Malcolm MacIver
Northwestern University
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Department of Mechanical EngineeringResearch: Research in the MacIver lab focuses on the interplay of biomechanics and the nervous system: neuromechanics, neuroethology, robotics, and simulation, using weakly electric fish as a model system.
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David McLean
Northwestern University
Department of Neurobiology and Physiology
Research: Repetitive movements, like walking or breathing, are generated by networks of rhythmically active neurons. We are interested in how rhythmic networks develop and produce movements of different speeds and intensities. To do this, we study the spinal networks controlling innate motor behaviors in developing zebrafish. Zebrafish provide a unique opportunity to combine imaging, electrophysiological and molecular approaches to examine the neural control of behavior in the living organism. By revealing common principles of organization, we hope to provide insights into disorders that affect our capacity to move, like Parkinson's disease, epilepsy or spinal injury.
Website: http://www.neurobiology.northwestern.edu/facultypages/mclean/mclean.shtml
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Jason MacLean
The University of Chicago
Assistant Professor
Department of Neurobiology, Committees on Neurobiology, Computational Neuroscience, and the Graduate Program in Biophysical SciencesResearch: optical probing and imaging of neuronal microcircuits.
I am using advanced imaging techniques, including 2-photon laser scanning microscopy, in combination with patch clamp physiology, anatomical methodologies and computational approaches to explore local circuits in the mammalian central nervous system. The combination of these approaches allows me to delineate circuits according to the component neurons, the connections between them and the dynamics that they exhibit.
Website: http://macleanlab.uchicago.edu/
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Daniel Margoliash
The University of Chicago
Professor
Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, the Committees on Computational Neuroscience, Neurobiology; The Department of PsychologyResearch: vocal learning in songbirds and humans
The challenge of neuroethology is to explain animal behavior in terms of wiring diagrams, neuronal morphologies, synaptic weights, and other properties of the nervous system. Its strength lies in an appreciation of behavior and the profound interaction between behavioral specialization and physiological mechanisms. We study birdsong learning and song recognition, and most recently human speech, from this perspective.
Website: http://margoliashlab.uchicago.edu/
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Wendy Murray
Northwestern University
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical EngineeringResearch: Activities of daily living involve the coordinated control of multiple joints of the upper extremity. We use our arms and hands within an extensive functional workspace, and we complete tasks that require everything from intricate manipulation to raw strength. As a first example of the complexity of our arm movements, just the orientation of the limb with respect to gravity varies considerably during basic daily tasks (compare typing on a keyboard, putting on shoes, and reaching for an item on an overhead shelf). The human hand provides a remarkable interface with our environment, allowing self-care, grasp and release, communication, and the ability to connect with other people. The loss of hand and arm function presents a severe disability.
The aim of my research is to use biomechanics as a framework for investigating how we move and control our arms and hands. The foundation for my work is the development of biomechanical models that represent accurately the mechanical actions of the upper extremity muscles. Computer simulations are integrated with quantitative anatomy, in vivo laser diffraction, medical imaging, and dynamometry to better characterize the basic functional capabilities of individual muscles and to quantify how these capabilities are altered by physical impairments or surgical interventions. Given the intricate anatomy of the upper extremity, I am interested in understanding how musculoskeletal design contributes to limb mechanics. I am especially motivated to apply this research to help improve function following injuries and impairments that affect the upper limb.
Website: http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/directory/profiles/Wendy-M-Murray.html
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Neelish Patankar
Northwestern University
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical EngineeringResearch: We specialize in fast and efficient algorithms for fully resolved simulation of immersed bodies in fluids. Our techniques are applicable at varying length scales ranging from Brownian systems to high Reynolds number flows. The immersed bodies can be rigid particles or freely swimming/flying bodies. One of our primary thrusts is to apply our simulation techniques to problems in biofluiddynamics. These problems are: understanding the fundamentals of aquatic locomotion and aerial flight, evolution of fish form and function including the development of an artificial evolution computational tool and, active mechanics of intracellular processes. Some other application areas we are interested in are animation, sediment transport in geomorphic processes, and dynamics of sport balls.
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Victoria Prince
The University of Chicago
Professor
Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy Associate Dean and Director, Office of Graduate Affairs Committees on Developmental Biology, Evolutionary BiologyResearch: Research in my lab focuses on understanding how vertebrate embryos are properly patterned along the primary body axis, from head to tail. We make use of a tractable teleost model system, the zebrafish (Danio rerio), as a starting point for our studies, but also use other model or non-model vertebrates where called for.
Website: http://princelab.bsd.uchicago.edu/
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Callum Ross
The University of Chicago
Professor
Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The Committee on Evolutionary BiologyResearch: The Ross lab uses the vertebrate feeding systems to study the relationships between morphology and behavior during evolution, and the adaptive modulation of morphology and behavior in individuals during their lifetime. Vertebrate morphology and behavior are designed by natural selection not only to be adapted to specific tasks, but also to be adaptive, i.e., to be able to vary in response to changing conditions. Feeding systems are ideal places to study these factors because feeding performance is an important determinant of animal survival, and because there is a wide range of variability in sensorimotor systems, musculoskeletal morphology, feeding behavior and modulatory abilities. Research in the lab has two principal foci: the evolution of modulation of feeding behavior, and the relationship between feeding system morphology and function.
Website: http://pondside.uchicago.edu/oba/faculty/ross_c.html
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Paul Sereno
The University of Chicago
Professor
Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The Committee on Evolutionary BiologyResearch: Paul Sereno has discovered dinosaurs on several continents. His overall aim is to map the dinosaur family tree by tracing the many evolutionary changes recorded in their skeletons. The patterns of change recorded on the branches of the evolutionary tree are key to understanding how evolution works over millions of years. Sereno fuses his mission of scientific research with his educational mission, engaging his students directly in the process of discovery. In 1998, Sereno and his wife, educator Gabrielle Lyon, co-founded Project Exploration, an organization dedicated to bringing dinosaur discoveries and natural science to the public and providing innovative educational opportunities for city kids.
Website: www.paulsereno.org
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Kamal Sharma
The University of Chicago
Associate Professor
Department of NeurobiologyResearch: Our goal is to understand principles underlying the development of motor circuits1. We use gene expression to define classes of interneurons in the embryonic and adult nervous system. Once a gene is identified as a unique marker for a class of neurons, we target that locus using homologous recombination in the mouse embryonic stem cells. This approach allows us to generate transgenic mice in which a defined class of neurons expresses fluorescent markers for mapping its projections and identifying its synaptic partners. We also use transgenic methods to selectively ablate, silence or activate select neurons in the embryonic or adult mice. The goal of these studies is to determine the function of these neurons in motor control. We evaluate motor functions using a variety of electrophysiological and behavioral assays. Thus far we have studied the development2 and functions3, 4 of a class of neurons called the V2a interneurons. These neurons are glutamatergic and are characterized by the expression of a homeodomain transcription factor Chx10.
Website: http://sharmalab.bsd.uchicago.edu/
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Neil Shubin
The University of Chicago
Robert R. Bensley Professor, Organismal Biology and Anatomy
Associate Dean, Organismal Biology and Anatomy
Professor, Committee on Evolutionary BiologyResearch: Mechanisms behind the evolutionary origin of new anatomical features and faunas
I seek to understand the mechanisms behind the evolutionary origin of new anatomical features and faunas. The philosophy that underlies all of my empirical work is derived from the conviction that progress in the study of evolutionary biology results from linking research across diverse temporal, phylogenetic, and structural scales. The Origin of Novel Faunas and Anatomical Systems: Much of today's vertebrate diversity was defined by ecological and evolutionary shifts that happened during two critical intervals in the history of the Earth: the Devonian and the Triassic. These periods serve as the focal point for my research because they witness the origin of both new ecosystems and new anatomical designs. My expeditionary research supplies new fossils and a paleoenvironmental context to understand the origin of faunas, whereas our morphological, functional, and developmental studies yield hypotheses on anatomical transformations.
Website: http://pondside.uchicago.edu/oba/faculty/shubin_n.html
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Mark Westneat
The Field Museum
Curator of Zoology
Robert A. Pritzker Director, Biodiversity Synthesis CenterResearch: There are three primary questions around which I build my research program: What is the tree of life? How do animals work? How is structural and functional diversity generated and maintained? In order to play a part in these fields of inquiry, the central goals of much of the research in my laboratory are (1) to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of major coral reef fish groups, (2) to investigate basic biomechanics and functional morphology in organisms, and (3) to integrate phylogeny with biomechanics to understand the evolution of function in diverse groups of organisms.