|
The Banghart Lab launched at UCSD in the Fall of 2016. UCSD graduate students should contact Matt by email to discuss rotation opportunities. Prospective graduate students should consider the graduate programs in Neurosciences or Biology (international students should apply to Biology). Postdoctoral candidates should email Matt their CV, a brief statement of research experience and interests, and contact info for 3 references.
|
|
Matt originally trained as an organic chemist but then drifted into neuroscience during his PhD training. During his doctoral studies at UC Berkeley with Dirk Trauner and Rich Kramer, Matt developed methods for regulating ion channels with light, which initiated his transformation into a neuroscientist. Matt then pursued postdoctoral studies as a Helen Hay Whitney fellow with Bernardo Sabatini at Harvard Medical School to study the neurophysiology of striatal neuropeptides. This experience cemented his interest in how neuromodulators influence behavior. Outside of the lab you might find him running or cycling in the canyons around La Jolla, playing in the sand at the beach with his son, tending to his garden, or hovering over his Weber grill (year round). He also enjoys camping, hiking and snowboarding, and is always looking for excuses to be outside in the sun.
|
|
Hui is currently the Sr. chemist in the group. He joined the team after completing an outstanding PhD constructing multifunctional fluorogenic and near-IR fluorescent probes with Dr. Injae Shin at Yonsei University in South Korea. His current project involves optimizing caging groups for in vivo applications.
|
|
Wooseok recently joined the lab after completing an exceptionally productive PhD with Dr. Myoung-Hwan Kim at the Seoul National University College of Medicine. He is broadly interested in neuropeptidergic signaling in pain modulatory circuits and is excited to launch a new project in the lab.
|
|
Janie brings to the lab a broad background in neurobiological research and a quirky sense of humor that originates in her undergraduate days earning a B.A. in Neuroscience at Oberlin College. She is currently focused on neuropeptide secretion in the lab, but also dabbles in placebo analgesia. Outside the lab you could find her at a rock climbing gym or, if time allows, on the seafloor scuba diving. Although grad school can be quite demanding, she always has time for her pet snake, Duck. Janie is the proud guardian of Morphy and Coco, the lab's pet lizards.
|
|
Amy joined the lab as an undergraduate student with industry experience and has proven to be an unstoppable force on the slice rig. For her ongoing M.S. thesis project, Amy discovered a new GPCR signaling pathway that may prove to be prominent throughout the nervous system. Her ramen skills are also unparalleled in the lab (sorry Hui). Keep an eye out for her PhD program applications. She is the one you want.
|
|
Megan joined the lab as an undergraduate student and spends her M.S. thesis hours mapping inputs to reward circuits that might contribute to opioid reinforcement. She has proven to be a proficient surgeon and histologist. Outside of the lab you will find her plowing through opponents on the rugby field.
|
|
|
Coco and Morphy joined the lab in the Fall of 2024 just in time to feast on all of the crickets that find their way into the lab when the weather cools down (see video below). They pass the day lounging under rocks and logs and mostly emerge at night to run experiments when everyone else is home sleeping. What will be their next big discovery? The molecular underpinnings of the cricket escape reflex? Check the publications tab regularly for their next pre-print to find out.
|
| morphy_eats_a_cricket.mov |
