I'm a graduate student in the Harvard Neuroscience program, working on my thesis in the Engert lab. I am interested in the way that spatially and functionally complex systems like the brain or the developing embryo form from disparate but highly interconnected parts. My current focus is on understanding how neuromodulators define internal states and control behavioral transitions using larval zebrafish. I also enjoy writing, surfing and soccer outside of the lab.
Duque, Chen et al. 2023 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.12.29.522099v2.abstract
Current research
I am currently interested in understanding how behavioral state transitions are controlled using larval zebrafish as a model and focusing on the potential role non-neuronal cells in the brain might play. Specifically, we are studying the interaction between fast acting antidepressants, glial cells and futility-induced passivity.
Control (left) and halved (right) mouse embryos at the blastocyst stage
Other projects
In the past, I have worked in the Chalasani Lab advancing the field of sonogenetics, using ultrasound and TRPA1 expression to modulate neural activity. In my early research years, I was also interested in understanding size control and compensation during development using halved mouse embryos and chimeras, in the Hiiragi Lab.
TRPA1 expressing neurons responding to ultrasound from Duque et al. 2022