My laboratory investigates the fundamental biochemical and genetic mechanisms by which dopaminergic neurons undergo degenerative processes observed during Parkinson’s disease, aging, and environmental stress. We use the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for our studies and create transgenic animal models, identify genetic interactors, profile changes at the transcript level using next generation sequencing approaches, and develop bioinformatics tools for the study of gene and small noncoding RNA function.