A fundamental goal of neuroscience is to understand how the activity of neurons in networks gives rise to coordinated behaviors.
Our laboratory studies brain and behavior in the microscopic roundworm C. elegans.
Advantages of this animal include a compact and well-mapped nervous system, genetic manipulability, and optical transparency.
We adopt an interdisciplinary approach, integrating techniques from physics, biology, engineering, and computation.
We will describe efforts to decipher the neural circuits underlying two fundamental, rhythmic behaviors: feeding and locomotion.
We will also discuss our development of robotic and microfabricated tools for high-throughput automation of C. elegans research.