Emily Sylwestrak

Emily Sylwestrak is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Oregon, affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on understanding molecular, cellular, and circuit mechanisms underlying motivated behavior, particularly in the habenula's role in reward processing and neuropsychiatric disorders like addiction and depression. The Sylwestrak Lab employs cell-type specific activity monitoring and behavioral analysis to dissect how neuronal populations drive behavior.

Education details are not explicitly stated in the provided texts, but her work emphasizes advanced techniques like intact-tissue sequencing and hydrogel-based RNA detection. Her lab integrates molecular, genetic, and behavioral approaches to study neural circuits' functional specialization.

Research highlights include studies on habenular neurons' reward computations, endocannabinoid signaling in sensory cortex plasticity, and synaptic refinement mechanisms. Her methods bridge molecular biology with systems neuroscience, focusing on circuit-level analysis.

Lab philosophy emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and translational insights into neuropsychiatric disorders. The lab is affiliated with the University of Oregon's broader neuroscience community, contributing to interdisciplinary research initiatives.