Professor Dr. Jonathan Epp

Biography

Dr. Jonathan Epp has expertise in microscopy, histology, and behavioral neuroscience. He was hired in 2017 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy and is a full member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary. His background in neuroscience has been shaped by training with world leaders in behavioral neuroscience, particularly in adult neurogenesis, learning, and memory. He received both his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in neuroscience from the University of Lethbridge under Dr. Robert Sutherland. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia in 2010 under Dr. Lisa Galea. Following this, Dr. Epp conducted postdoctoral research at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto with Dr. Paul Frankland. He has received various funding sources, including the prestigious NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. Dr. Epp's research focuses on adult neurogenesis and its functional consequences, particularly how new neurons contribute to learning and memory while also preventing memory interference. His work employs advanced techniques such as optogenetics and chemogenetics to manipulate neuronal activity and fiber photometry to monitor neuronal function. Additionally, he has developed innovative tissue-clearing protocols to study the 3-dimensional organization of brain structures. Dr. Epp has published extensively, with 28 peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications and Neuron.

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