Wiring Sensorimotor Computations

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

2:30 PM-4:00 PM

BIOMED Seminar

Title:
Wiring Sensorimotor Computations
    
Speaker:
Catherine von Reyn, PhD
Associate Professor
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Drexel University 

Details:
The ability to extract relevant sensory information from the environment and initiate appropriate motor responses is a conserved and essential function of the nervous system. Sensorimotor transformations are computed by neural circuits whose identity, connectivity, and underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Gaining insight into these processes is critical not only for advancing robotics and developing assistive technologies but also for restoring function when sensorimotor transformations are impaired by neurodegenerative diseases and disorders.

In this talk, I introduce Drosophila melanogaster—a genetically tractable model organism whose rich behavioral repertoire and comprehensive neural mapping offer unprecedented accessibility for investigating sensorimotor transformations from the behavioral to the molecular level.

Biosketch:
Catherine von Reyn, PhD, received her BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. von Reyn completed her postdoctoral research at the Janelia Research Campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)

At Drexel, Dr. von Reyn leads the Neural Circuit Engineering Lab, which applies engineering principles to investigate how sensorimotor transformations are generated. Her lab integrates behavioral assays, computational modeling, genetic engineering, connectomics, and electrophysiology to identify sensorimotor circuits and elucidate the computations they perform. The lab also explores how these circuits are wired and how miswiring contributes to dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Contact Information

Natalia Broz
cr63@drexel.edu