Cory Root is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Diego, specializing in the sensory systems that detect external world features through neuronal activity. His research focuses on understanding how sensory information is encoded in the brain's internal representations and how this information informs behavior. With a particular interest in the olfactory system, he investigates how innate behavioral responses are linked to sensory stimuli and their representations. Employing techniques like endoscopic two-photon calcium imaging, molecular genetics, viral tracing, and optogenetics, his lab manipulates and monitors neural circuits in the mouse brain. Root's work has implications for understanding the neural circuits that mediate both innate behaviors and learned associations, contributing vital knowledge to the field of neurobiology. He received his B.A. in Biology and Chemistry from Whitman College and his Ph.D. in Biology from UC San Diego, with postdoctoral research at Columbia University under Richard Axel. Root joined the faculty in 2016 and has been recognized with the Elkins Memorial Award for his outstanding doctoral thesis and the K99/R00 Pathway Independence Award from the NIDCD.
University of California, San Diego • La Jolla, CA
Joined the faculty focusing on sensory systems and brain research.