I studied retroviruses as a Ph.D. student at M.I.T. and Hox genes in Drosophila as a postdoc at Stanford. Since beginning my lab in 1990, we work on three big problems, all using the fruit fly as our experimental system: 1) how transcription factors find the correct targets and regulate the correct genes in vivo, with a special focus on the Hox family of transcription factors; 2) how appendages develop; and 3) how flies walk in a coordinated manner. This last topic includes both a developmental component (how leg motor neurons develop and establish the correct neural connections) and a behavioral component (what is the neural circuitry that governs coordinated leg movements). A consistent goal for our work is to solve problems at a mechanistic level, using a combination of genetics, biochemistry, and, in collaborative work, structural biology and computational biology. I enjoy mentoring students of all ages and backgrounds and strongly encourage members of the lab to explore their own ideas.
Publications
