Nicholas W Bellono

Nicholas W Bellono is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. His research investigates how organisms adapt to environmental signals through specialized systems, focusing on signal transduction, ion channel biophysics, and evolutionary mechanisms that shape sensory physiology and behavior.

• Key Research Areas: Sensory neuroscience, ion channel function, evolutionary physiology
• Techniques: Electrophysiology, structural biology, comparative genomics

Recent work examines chemotactile sensation in octopuses and sensory organ evolution in sea robins, revealing molecular pathways for microbiome-driven behavior and leg-like appendage specialization. The lab maintains a diverse aquatic species facility to study unconventional systems.