Dr. Simon Butt

Biography

Simon Butt is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford's Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics. He completed his undergraduate studies in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford in 1996 and embarked on a PhD studying serotonergic modulation of motorneurons in the lab of Dr. Bob Pitman at the Gatty Marine Lab, University of St. Andrews. This experience allowed him to investigate neuronal activity and provided inspiration for his subsequent research career, particularly in resolving neural subtypes and understanding their contributions to mammalian neural networks. In 2001, he joined Prof. Ole Kiehn’s lab at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, working on studies examining the role of identified interneuron populations in the mammalian locomotor network. His experiences led him to develop a passion for developmental genetics, focusing on the function of interneurons within complex neuronal systems. Butt subsequently undertook a postdoc at NYU Medical Center under Prof. Gord Fishell, studying the genetic basis of cortical interneuron diversity. In 2007, he returned to the UK to become a Lecturer in Molecular Neuroscience at Imperial College London, and later relocated to the University of Oxford. He is currently an Associate Professor in Neuroscience and a Tutorial Fellow at Keble College.

Research Interests