Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
Duke Health Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology
·
2025 - Present
Cell Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Professor of Cell Biology
·
2022 - Present
Cell Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Vice Chair of Research
·
2026 - Present
Cell Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
·
2008 - Present
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences,
University Institutes and Centers
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society
·
2018 - Present
Duke Science & Society,
University Initiatives & Academic Support Units
Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center
·
2021 - Present
Duke Regeneration Center,
Basic Science Departments
Recent Scholarly Works
Glia orchestrate neural circuit development.
Journal article Dev Cell · July 8, 2026 Over the past ∼25 years, our understanding of neural circuit development in the central nervous system has shifted. Once considered passive supporters, glial cells, namely, astrocytes, oligodendrocyte lineage cells, and microglia, are increasingly recogniz ... Full text Link to item CiteNeuroligin-2 is ubiquitinated by Nedd4l to control developmental astrocyte morphogenesis.
Journal article J Cell Biol · July 6, 2026 Central nervous system astrocytes have an intricate, highly branched morphology. Proper development of perisynaptic astrocyte processes is necessary for tripartite synapse formation and function. However, cellular pathways orchestrating this development ar ... Full text Link to item Citeδ-catenin controls layer-specific transcriptional maturation of astrocytes via Zbtb20.
Preprint · May 13, 2026 Coordinated maturation of diverse neural cell types drives mammalian cortical circuit development. Disruption of this coordination is a hallmark of human neurodevelopmental disorders, yet mechanisms that synchronize transcriptional maturation across cell t ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Genetics and Genomics Training Grant
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2031Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2026 - 2031How do white matter astrocytes become functionally mature?
FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2029View All Grants
Education
Ruprecht Karl University (Germany) ·
2002
Ph.D.