Howard Sirotkin

Howard Sirotkin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior at Stony Brook University's Renaissance School of Medicine. His research focuses on neural development, utilizing zebrafish as a model organism to study processes like neural stem cell differentiation, neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism, epilepsy), and the impact of environmental pollutants like PFAS. He holds a PhD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and has been at Stony Brook since 2002. His lab employs cutting-edge genetic tools and behavioral assays to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system formation and dysfunction.

• Education: B.S. Microbiology (University of Florida, 1991); M.S./Ph.D. Molecular Genetics (Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1993/1996).
• Research Themes: (1) Neural stem cell regulation, (2) Disease modeling in zebrafish, (3) Chromosome engineering, (4) Environmental toxicant effects
• Key Technologies: Zebrafish genetics, high-resolution live imaging, CRISPR-based genome editing
• Lab Members: Includes PhD students (Carly Gomes, Gina Rizzo), MS students, and undergraduate researchers
• Grants: NIH-funded projects on PFAS toxicity and neural stem cell signaling
• Facilities: State-of-the-art lab in Stony Brook's Life Sciences Building with dedicated microscopy and behavioral testing suites