We are addressing fundamental problems in Neuroscience, Developmental Biology, and Evolutionary Biology. We are particularly interested in:

• How complex neural circuitry arises in development
• How the activity of neuronal networks regulates animal behavior
• How animal genomes, body plans and cell types evolved

In order to address these questions, we use several animal systems encompassing cnidarians, mollusks, fruit flies and nematodes, and a broad spectrum of experimental approaches. Our expertise ranges from genetics, cell- and developmental biology, and genomics to systems neuroscience. We are an interdisciplinary collaborative team of six groups. Click here to find out about their specific fields of research.