معرفی
Stephen Van Hooser is an Associate Professor of Biology at Brandeis University, where he leads the Neural Circuits Lab. His research focuses on understanding how neural networks assemble during development and function in circuits to enable perception and behavior. He holds affiliations with multiple Brandeis programs including the Department of Biology, Neuroscience Graduate Program, Volen Center for Complex Systems, Sloan-Swartz Center for Theoretical Neurobiology, and Quantitative Biology Program.
Dr. Van Hooser received his B.S. from the California Institute of Technology, his Ph.D. from Brandeis University, and completed postdoctoral training at Duke University Medical Center. His educational background bridges physics, biology, and neuroscience, providing a strong foundation for his interdisciplinary research approach.
Dr. Van Hooser's research centers on two major themes: the role of experience in the development and maturation of neural circuits, and the operating principles of cortical circuits. His lab applies cutting-edge optical and optogenetic tools to observe both fine-scale circuit features and systems-level responses simultaneously in the living brain. By combining these approaches with advanced physiological and anatomical techniques, his team addresses previously inaccessible questions about neural circuitry in mammalian visual cortex. His work particularly investigates how motion selectivity develops in an experience-dependent manner, whether experience merely permits the completion of developmental programs or alters the trajectory of circuit construction, and which circuit elements are modified by experience. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a progression from basic circuit mechanisms to more complex behavioral correlates, with increasing use of mouse models alongside traditional ferret models, and growing interest in neurodevelopmental disorder models like Shank3 knockout mice.
- Beverly Patterson Bishop Award for Excellence in Neuroscience, Brandeis University, 2015
As a principal investigator, Dr. Van Hooser mentors graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the Neural Circuits Lab. His research program has been consistently supported by major funding sources including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), John Merck Foundation, Charles H. Hood Foundation, American Physiological Society, National Science Foundation, and National Institutes of Health. His lab has developed the Neuroscience Data Interface (NDI) to facilitate organization and sharing of neuroscience data, reflecting his commitment to open science and data transparency.
The Neural Circuits Lab is equipped with advanced imaging and electrophysiology capabilities, including 2-photon microscopy for in vivo imaging of neural activity. The lab employs a multidisciplinary approach combining computational modeling, molecular techniques, and behavioral analysis to understand how neural circuits develop and function. Dr. Van Hooser's team collaborates with researchers across Brandeis and other institutions to advance our understanding of cortical circuit organization and plasticity, with a particular emphasis on the visual system as a model for understanding general principles of neural circuit function.
