The focus of our research is to address (1) how neuronal development contributes to the assembly and function of the nervous system and (2) how defects in this process lead to brain disorders. On neuronal development, we are interested in how neurons develop dendrites and axons into distinct subcellular compartments and how experience interacts with the genome to shape the nervous system. On brain disorders, we investigate the role of dysregulated expression levels of genes (e.g., in Down syndrome). We use both Drosophila and mice in our research, and take a multi-disciplinary approach that include genetics, cell biology, developmental biology, biochemistry, advanced imaging (for neuronal structures and activity), electrophysiology, computation, and behavioral studies.