Heather Snell

Heather Snell, Ph.D., is a Researcher at the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and holds an adjunct role at Yale School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the cerebellum's role in motor impairments (e.g., ataxia, dystonia) and cognitive disorders like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She employs electrophysiology, optogenetics, and molecular biology in mouse models to study GABAergic Purkinje cells and their dysfunction in neurological conditions.

• Education: PhD in Biological Sciences (Pharmacology & Neuroscience) from University of North Texas Health Science Center; dual bachelor's degrees in Biochemistry and English Literature from Louisiana State University.

Her work investigates receptor-channel interactions in cerebellar circuits, including GABAA ρ1 receptors and acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs). She collaborates with Dr. Kamran Khodakhah's laboratory and has expertise in pharmacological modeling and whole-cell electrophysiology techniques.