Research

My research focuses on gut tube embryonic development in human stem cell and animal (avian) models. broadly, I am interested in how cell populations and tissues of different embryonic origins interact to give the small intestine its correct structure. I am also interested in how these interactions vary to produce species-specific morphologies.

The ENS in gut tube development (in a human embryonic stem cell model)

My PhD research focused on how the ENS (Enteric Nervous System) develops in the embryonic small intestine and how it interacts with other cell populations.

Late gut tube morphogenesis (in avian embryo models)

My postdoctoral (current) research centers around how the small intestine gets its characteristic shape (with a focus and loop formation), and how that process varies between different species.