Harvard University · Microbiology & ImmunologyEngert Lab
Florian Engert · Cambridge, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Florian Engert's lab at Harvard University studies how the brain and body interact, particularly focusing on zebrafish as a model organism. They aim to understand how animals perceive their environment and regulate their behaviors through neural circuits that are influenced by internal states like hunger and motivation. The lab investigates the genetic and neural mechanisms behind social behaviors, such as schooling and shoaling, using advanced imaging and modeling techniques.
ZebrafishSocial BehaviorNeural CircuitsInteroceptionBehavioral AssaysCardiac Control
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate how internal body states influence sensory perception and behavior.
AIM 02Characterize neural circuits responsible for social behaviors in zebrafish.
AIM 03Model the interactions between the brain and body using functional imaging data.
AIM 04Dissect the impact of genetic mutations on social behavior in zebrafish.
AIM 05Create a comprehensive brain and body connectome of larval zebrafish.
Skills the Lab Values
Functional ImagingGenetic MutagenesisOptogeneticsBehavioral AnalysisCircuit ModelingData AnalysisMicroscopyPatch-Clamp PhysiologyConnectomicsNeural Recording
Output against the department
Publications215top 29% of dept.143rd of 486
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations14ktop 27% of dept.133rd of 486
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.