Andrew Gordus

Andrew Gordus is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Johns Hopkins University, with affiliations in the Neuroscience Training Program and the Cellular, Molecular, Developmental and Biophysics (CMDB) Graduate Program. He leads an active research laboratory focused on the neural and genetic basis of behavior using model organisms such as C. elegans and the spider Uloborus diversus.

His research centers on understanding how neural circuits generate both novel and innate behaviors in response to environmental variability. Using genetic, imaging, and behavioral tools, his lab investigates decision-making, motor control, and sensory integration in these organisms. Notably, they study the precise movement sequences in spider web-building and stochastic foraging behaviors in worms.

The lab's recent publications reveal a strong emphasis on neural circuit dynamics, behavioral algorithms, genetic tools development, and systems neuroscience, often combining molecular genetics with quantitative behavioral analysis. Their work appears in high-impact journals such as Current Biology, eLife, and PNAS.

• NSF Division of Physics grant (2023)
• NIGMS R35 grant renewal (2023)
• JHU Catalyst Award (2022)
• Buck Institute Nathan Shock Center grant (2022)
• NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship (mentored awardee)

Gordus mentors a diverse group of graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduates, and supports their professional development. His lab culture emphasizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, welcoming scientists from immigrant, LGBTQ+, Black, Jewish, Latino, and Asian backgrounds. The lab is supported by multiple competitive grants and actively contributes to advancing the understanding of how brains generate complex behaviors.