About Me

I am a neuroscientist studying the cellular basis of abnormal brain rhythms. Studies in our lab range from patch clamp electrophysiological experiments in reduced preparations, to neuroimaging experiments conducted in patient populations. Our primary interests are in calcium channel function, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury. We develop novel approaches and experimental methods to discover basic mechanisms with the goal of applying new knowledge to find treatments and cures for human neurological diseases. 

Current Projects

  1. Mechanisms of Alcohol Withdrawal - We are determining how withdrawal from chronic alcohol consumption affects the expression and function of a T-type calcium channel.
  2. Mechanisms of epilepsy - We are exploring basic mechanisms by which normal brains express abnormal, synchronous rhythms associated with disorders such as epilepsy.
  3. Traumatic Brain Injury - In collaboration with the Veterans Administration, we are imaging the brains of veterans in a search for functional markers of PTSD and TBI. 

Research Laboratory

Godwin Lab - Researching the problem of how the nervous system controls its own sensory input in different behavioral states.

Educational Program Involvement

Integrative Physiology and Pharmacology PhD
Program Research Interest: Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Cardiovascular Physiology and Hypertension, Regenerative Medicine, Neuro- and Behavioral Pharmacology, Cancer Therapeutics Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Lifespan Physiology.

Graduate Programs in Neuroscience
Program Research Interest: Addiction and Substance Abuse, Behavioral and Systems Neurobiology, Development and Plasticity, Molecular Neurobiology, Neurological Disease and Aging, Neuropharmacology, Sensory Neurobiology

Molecular Medicine and Translational Science PhD
Program Research Interest: Analytical approaches to molecular and cellular synthesis, structure and function, Genetics and gene regulation, Cell communications, Organ systems, Pathophysiology

Research Training Grants

Alcohol Training Grant - Subcortical and cortical synaptic mechanisms of normal and pathologic sensory and cognitive processing, ethanol withdrawal seizures.