Exploring the Circuit and Synaptic Mechanisms of Behavioral Control

Our laboratory is interested in understanding how neural circuits generate and regulate mouse behavior — from simple motor patterns to complex goal-directed actions. We approach these questions from molecular, developmental, physiological, and behavioral perspectives, employing all necessary technologies to create a comprehensive understanding of the organization and regulation of behavioral output and its disruption in mouse models of neuropsychiatric disease.

Open Positions

Postdoctoral Fellows: Always seeking highly motivated, independent individuals interested in studying the neural mechanisms of behavioral control and action selection in mouse genetic models of neuropsychiatric disease.  Qualified candidates will have some of the following prior expertise: (1) in vivo electrophysiological recordings in any model system, (2) in vivo imaging of neuronal activity during behavior, (3) highly quantitative approaches to exploring motor output.  

ASPE Postdoctoral Fellowship: View (Ref ID: 29551) for info on how to apply to become an Autism Spectrum Program of Excellence fellow.

NGG Graduate Students: Please inquire about opportunities for research rotations. Excellent opportunity to learn a wide array of skills including in vitro electrophysiology, in vivo neural imaging, quantitative analysis of motor and reward-driven choice behaviors in mice, and transcriptional analysis of neuronal diversity.

CAMB Graduate Students: Please inquire about projects exploring the development of striatal circuitry — opportunity to employ transcriptional analyses, co-culture reduced systems, and cutting-edge functional disruption to explore this evolutionarily conserved structure.

Please contact fuccillo@pennmedicine.upenn.edu for all inquiries.