My research spans a broad range of projects, from analytical chemistry and entomology to neuroscience and neuroethology. We study neural circuits in insects, circadian timing and responses to environmental stress at the single-cell level. Our focus is on the roles of neuropeptides and biogenic amines, two of the most complex signalling molecules and still largely elusive neuroactive molecules, in the control of behaviour. My research decodes neuronal communication networks by linking transcriptomic information to functional molecular phenotypes at cellular and single-cell resolution. By combining comparative neurobiology, neurochemistry, physiology and mass spectrometry, I investigate how transcriptional heterogeneity translates into mature signalling molecules, and how these molecular profiles shape neuronal activity, circuit function and behaviour. Our model organisms are the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, due to the extensive genetic toolkit and substantial background knowledge available for studying its neuronal circuits. However, we also study larger, longer-lived pest insects, such as the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, and the Madera cockroach, Rhyparobia maderae, due to their advantages for applying bioanalytical techniques and behavioural studies.
