Dr. Hua Yan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology, was awarded a National Institutes of Health R01 grant to study neural development and plasticity that are essential for chemosensory-mediated social behavior. The project aims to understand how neuroplasticity, the capacity of adaptive changes of neurons and neural circuits in response to environment, is modulated for social communication. Specifically, the project studies the role of neuronal activity and receptor trafficking in olfactory neuronal survival and the function of gustatory and ionotropic receptors in neural development in the ant Harpegnathos saltator, as ants are highly social and display striking neuroplasticity during development and throughout adulthood.
To learn more about Dr. Yan’s research, please visit
https://yanlab.biology.ufl.edu/