Sotirios Masmanidis

Associate Professor, Neurobiology, University of California Los Angeles

310-794-5625

UC Profile
http://masmanidislab.neurobio.ucla.edu/

Learning and movement are fundamental functions of the brain, yet many aspects of how these processes are orchestrated by various circuits remain elusive. Our group is trying to address several open questions about the neurobiological basis of reward-guided learning and movement in health and disease.

Affiliations

Member, Brain Research Institute, California NanoSystems Institute, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology GPB Home Area, Neuroscience GPB Home Area
 

Research Interests

Learning and movement are fundamental functions of the brain, yet many aspects of how these processes are orchestrated by various circuits remain elusive. Our group is addressing several open questions about the neurobiological basis of learning and movement in health and disease.  Specific questions include:

  1. What are the dynamics of neural microcircuits during reward-conditioned behavior?
  2. What role do specific microcircuits play in learning and movement?
  3. How do brain disorders perturb neural dynamics and information processing?

Biography:

Sotiris Masmanidis received an undergraduate degree in Physics from University College London, and a PhD in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology.  He was then awarded a Broad Fellowship in Brain Circuitry, and transitioned to neuroscience.  In 2012 he joined the faculty in the Department of Neurobiology at UCLA, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019.

Awards and Honors

  • Broad Fellowship in Brain Circuitry, California Institute of Technology, 2006-2011.
  • Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, UCLA, 2014.
  • McKnight Foundation Technical Innovations in Neuroscience Award, UCLA, 2014.

Publications