Lonnie P. Wollmuth

Lonnie P. Wollmuth is a Professor in the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior at Stony Brook University, affiliated with the Renaissance School of Medicine and the Neuroscience Institute. He holds a PhD from the University of Washington and has held faculty positions since 1998. His research focuses on glutamate receptor function, synaptic transmission, and neural circuit development, particularly using zebrafish models. He directs the Graduate Program in Neuroscience and leads the Wollmuth Hsieh Lab, studying mechanisms underlying fast synaptic transmission and neurological disorders.

Dr. Wollmuth’s training includes postdoctoral work at the Max Planck Institute under Bert Sakmann, and he has been recognized with the Alexandrine and Alexander Sinsheimer Scholars Award (1999–2002). His lab collaborates with institutions like the Feinstein Institute and Yale University, addressing topics such as NMDA receptor channelopathies, lupus autoantibodies, and retinal synapse dynamics. He mentors graduate students and postdocs in molecular and cellular neuroscience, emphasizing quantitative approaches and interdisciplinary methods.

Key contributions include elucidating NMDA receptor gating mechanisms, modeling developmental NMDAR dysfunction, and studying benzodiazepine effects on GABAergic circuits. His work integrates structural biology, electrophysiology, and behavioral assays, with recent focus on zebrafish as a model for studying neural circuit maturation and disease pathways.