I am interested in German and Austrian literature and thought from the late 18th to the early 20th century. My focus is on the fantastic and uncanny, myth and fairy tales. My current research deals with the aesthetics of terror in the romantic period.
I and my lab study animal welfare. We're interested in how to create good living conditions for animals kept in labs, zoos and farms; in how scientists can assess well-being objectively; and in what happens to brain and behaviour when animals are raised and kept lifelong in confining, barren enclosures.
Our program offers an opportunity to work with diverse faculty, develop and apply theory and qualitative, quantitative & mixed research skills and communicate in clear and accessible written, oral and visual forms with and for multiple audiences to affect positive social change.
Research in my laboratory aims to identify and characterize new molecular factors and cellular mechanisms implicated in neuronal development and plasticity, which in turn will help reveal important new details about the pathophysiology of different brain disorders and identify potential targets for improved pharmacological treatments.