I am a neuroscience researcher and science writer currently studying at the University of California San Diego, (hopefully) working towards a doctorate in computational neuroscience. I am currently funded by the Department of Defense as a National Defense Science and Engineering Fellow, working in Cory Root‘s lab. My research goal is to map the types of neurons in the cortical amygdala, and find out how the brain genetically hardwires specific pieces of information into its structure. You can find more information about what I study on my Research page.
I was born on the Upper East Side in New York City, but grew up in rural southeastern Iowa, a few miles north of Iowa City. While I did not grow up on a farm, my neighborhood was surrounded by cornfields and pastures. I spent most of my time growing up playing hockey and football, which were surely great for my developing brain.
I became interested in biology when I was a small child, incessantly asking how and why the people around me got sick. I got my start in science way back in 2010, assisting in a genetics lab, researching the role the gene BMPR1A plays in heritable colon cancer. I authored my first publications here, a complete list of which you can find on my Publications page.
Before coming to UCSD, I attended Dartmouth College, where I received my B.A. in Neuroscience and Biology in 2017. During my undergrad studies, I studied microRNAs in hippocampal neurogenesis in Bryan W. Luikart’s lab at the Geisel School of Medicine and learned behavioral modeling and analysis in Alcino J. Silva’s lab at UCLA.
In my free time, I write popular science articles on topics in neuroscience and genetics, communicating the newest ideas and findings (and a few piping hot takes) to audiences outside the ivory tower.
When I am not in the lab or at my desk, you can find me at the beach, on a hike, or in front of a TV whenever the Patriots, Celtics, or Red Sox are playing. In the future, I want to develop methods to treat neuropsychiatric disease and share them with the world.
James R. Howe VI 