Electricity is central to life. The sensation of environmental stimuli, thought, learning, memory, hormone secretion, and movement all rely on cellular electrical signals. We study life’s electrical system, focusing on sensory sensation, from a molecular and biophysical perspective.

Our laboratory focuses on ion channels, transporters, and their regulatory complexes that form gated pathways for ionic traffic across cell membranes. We aim to uncover the detailed mechanisms of how these membrane proteins function and their roles in biological processes. To achieve this, we employ a variety of approaches, including structural biology (cryo-EM), electrophysiology, biophysics, biochemistry, pharmacology, and imaging, we aim to advance our knowledge of sensory transduction and electrical signaling. 

Our goal is to lay the foundation for new strategies to promote health and treat disease, including the development of drugs that target ion channels for clinical applications.