معرفی
Ian Woods is a Professor in the Department of Biology within the School of Humanities and Sciences at Ithaca College. He serves as the Health Professions Advisor and Chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee. His research focuses on developmental and computational biology with specialization in nervous system development and function.
Dr. Woods' primary research interests include:
- Genetics of somatosensory development and function
- Neuropeptide modulation of arousal
- Dissection of complex and diverse neuropeptide function
His laboratory employs zebrafish as a model organism due to their external development, optical transparency, robust behaviors, and genetic tractability. Recent research has expanded to include tardigrade locomotion studies. His work utilizes microarray analyses, genetic gain- and loss-of-function approaches, live imaging of transgenic embryos, and high-throughput behavioral analyses.
Dr. Woods has published extensively on neurodevelopment, sleep regulation, and locomotor behavior, with notable contributions including the discovery of the 'dreammist' mutant that regulates sleep in zebrafish and the development of VideoHacking software for automated behavioral analysis.
His scientific contributions span:
- Identification of genes enriched in different somatosensory neuron types
- Development of genetic tools for neuropeptide function studies
- Analysis of tardigrade locomotion across life stages and species
- Investigation of neuropeptide roles in arousal behaviors
Dr. Woods has mentored numerous undergraduate students who have presented at national conferences including the Society for Neuroscience and National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR). Many of his students have received research scholarships such as BBB Research Scholarships and Dana Internships.
