Our research centers around understanding the molecular basis by which the nervous system is sculpted during development.  We use a combination of genetic, biochemical, and mathematical modeling techniques to determine how competition defines proper cell number and synaptic connectivity.  

We are also interested in how these competitive developmental programs that are used to assemble the nervous system might be exploited by pathologies such as Alzheimer's and Lou Gerhig's Disease to disassemble the nervous system.

There are several projects that are available which will be scaled for undergrad students, grad students, or post-docs. To learn more about potential research projects for people to work on, visit my lab webpage.

Deppmann, C.D., Ginty D.D. (2006) Retrograde Control of Neural Circuit Formation. Cell 127(7) 1306-7.

Deppmann, C.D., Alvania, R.A., Taparowsky, E.J. (2006) Cross-species Annotation of Basic Leucine Zipper Factor Interactions: Insight Into the Evolution of Closed Interaction Networks. Mol. Biol. Evol. 23(8), 1480-92.

Deppmann, C.D., Acharya, A., Rishi, V., Wobbes, B., Smeekens, S., Taparowsky, E.J., Vinson, C. (2004). Dimerization Specificity of All 67 B-ZIP Motifs in Arabidopsis thaliana: A Comparison to Homo sapiens B-ZIP Motifs. Nuc. Acids Res . 32(11), 3435-45.