Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy
The Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy at the University of Utah is committed to excellence in both teaching and research. The vigorous and highly collaborative research programs of our faculty are recognized in the areas of neuroscience, developmental biology, stem cell biology and regeneration, neural disease and repair.
We are strongly committed to medical training, and also support graduate teaching at the doctoral level, emphasizing both research excellence and professional development. Graduate Students enter through the Neuroscience or Molecular Biology programs, and join the department in their second year after a year of laboratory rotations and core courses.
New Faculty
The Department is pleased to welcome multiple new faculty to our ranks. Starting January 1, 2013 we have:
Adam Douglass, Assistant Professor, studies the neuromodulation of behavior in zebrafish, using optical, molecular, and behavioral techniques to understand how the circuit-level activities of dopamine and serotonin shape locomotion and learning.
Jason Shepherd, Assistant Professor, is investigating the mechanisms of activity and experience-dependent plasticity and the gene programs involved in basic neuronal function and neurological disorders, including Fragile X syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.
And transferring from the Department of Physiology:
Sharif Taha, Assistant Professor, is investigating the neural circuits underlying motivated behaviors and reward, including natural rewards, such as food, as well as drugs of abuse, particularly alcohol.
Matt Wachowiak, Associate Professor and USTAR Investigator, is studying how the nervous system encodes odor information, and how the brain processes this information to identify smells.
How to Find Us
The department is housed in the Wintrobe (see map), MREB (see map), School of Medicine (see map), and Eccles Genetics (see map) buildings in the School of Medicine.
- Map of driving directions from Salt Lake Intl. Airport.
- TRAX information (light rail)
- Contact us
New Member Of The Department?
Welcome! Please visit our Introduction Page to find helpful information to assist you.
Departmental Forms can be found here.
Body Donation for Medical Education
We also administer the University's Body Donor Program. It is one of few programs in the Intermountain West dedicated to providing for the needs of the ever-growing educational and research areas of medical science.
