Russell Scott Ray

Russell Scott Ray, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at Baylor College of Medicine, holding academic appointments in the Departments of Neuroscience, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and the Program in Developmental Biology. He serves as a McNair Scholar and Faculty Senator. His research focuses on neural circuits underlying breathing and their roles in disorders such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and panic disorder.

Education includes a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School, a Ph.D. from the University of Utah (2008), and a B.A. from Southern Oregon University (1999). Additional training includes research fellowships at the Instituto Cajal (Spain) and Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (Germany).

His lab investigates the molecular and genetic basis of neural circuits critical for breathing and survival. Key projects include screening for genetic contributors to SIDS, functional mapping of noradrenergic neurons, and studying SARS-CoV-2 effects on the nervous system. Research is supported by grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH, and other organizations.

• Awards: March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Fellowship, Parker B. Francis Fellowship, American Physiological Society New Investigator Award.
• Grants:
  • R01HL130249: Noradrenergic mechanisms in breathing (NHLBI, $1.9M)
  • R01HL161142: SIDS genetic screening (NHLBI, $2.3M)
  • R21OD025327: Mouse genetics for circuit mapping (NIH, $250K)

Lab members include postdoctoral researchers (e.g., Savannah Lusk), graduate students (e.g., Dipak Patel), and alumni such as Jenny Sun and Megan Key. The lab develops genetic tools and mouse models for neural circuit analysis, including CRISPR-based systems and intersectional alleles for precise circuit mapping.