I’m a Research Associate in Dr. John Hildebrand’s laboratory, where I study mechanisms
of olfaction information processing in the brain. I use as a model
system the giant sphinx moth
Manduca
sexta. I use electrophysiological,
chemical ecology, and behavioral approaches to
understand how the
insect’s brain detects and discriminates behaviorally relevant
odors, such
as the scents of flowers, plants and con-specifics.
One of my goals is to learn how the odor-
detecting pathways operate
in the insect, and discover fundamental neurobiological processes
and mechanisms common to many animal species, including human beings.
Given that many
insects are vectors of human diseases such as malaria,
yellow fever, dengue and many others,
or agricultural pests, this
knowledge could lead to development of new and effective strategies
for controlling them.
What do I do in the lab?
NEW! The
kissing bug project
Publications
Background and interests
My CV (PDF)
Tucson outdoors (and picture gallery)
Tucson is a cool community…. and a lot of fun!
Media
Page gets updated frequently, please visit my page again soon.
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