Harvard University · Neuroscience · PhysicsSamuel Lab
Aravinthan D. Samuel · Cambridge, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Aravinthan D. Samuel's lab focuses on understanding how the brain adapts behavior based on environmental cues, using the simple model organism C. elegans. The research delves into the neural circuits that drive mating behaviors adapted to different environments, exploring changes at the synaptic and cellular levels. Additionally, the lab is developing innovative imaging techniques for mapping brain connections more rapidly and affordably, making advanced connectomics accessible to a wider range of researchers.
C. elegansconnectomicssensorimotor circuitsneural plasticityimage acquisitionmachine learningbehavioral adaptationcomputational modelingsynaptic remodelingmating behavior
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how the C. elegans mating circuit adapts behavior based on environmental conditions.
AIM 02Map the neural wiring of the adaptive sensorimotor circuit at synaptic resolution.
AIM 03Develop faster imaging techniques for connectomics to facilitate large-scale brain mapping.
AIM 04Create tools for collaborative connectomics to enhance accessibility for researchers.
AIM 05Employ computational modeling to study the relationship between neural circuits and behavior.
Skills the Lab Values
microscopygenetic manipulationcircuit mappingneural recordingimage processingmachine learningdata analysiscloud computingPython programminghigh-throughput imaging
Output against the department
Publications169top 45% of dept.311th of 692
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations11ktop 38% of dept.262nd of 692
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.