Nicholas Petersen, Ph.D.
Danny Winder Lab, M4
Graduate Program: Neuroscience
Dissertation: Mechanisms underlying control of wake-promoting dopamine neurons by norepinephrine and alcohol
Hometown: Davie, FL
Undergraduate Institution: Cornell University
Research Interests: I am interested in the underlying neurophysiology of addiction and addiction-associated disorders. Specifically, I study noradrenergic modulation of wake-promoting dopamine neurons in the ventral periaqueductal gray in the context of alcohol use. My goal is to better understand the contribution of astrocytes to the synaptic physiology of these neurons in alcohol-associated disordered sleeping by using mouse models of alcohol use combined with ex vivo patch-clamp electrophysiology and fluorescence imaging.
MSTP Leadership: Student Advisory Committee (2017-2019), Edwards-Goodpasture CAB Leader (2019-2021), APSA Representative (2020-2022)
Interests/Hobbies: I love art, music, gardening, traveling, cooking, and spending time with my husband and our dog and cat, Luna and Kaya