I am a comparative neuroscientist that aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that shape individual neurodevelopmental trajectories towards adult sociality. I investigate how genetic factors – in interaction with the environment – generate social diversity. My research is firmly rooted in 1) the use of animal models with substantial genetic and behavioral diversity, 2) the identification of molecular pathways with advanced sequencing approaches, and 3) the development of tools that enable the causal linkage of gene-behavior relations.

My scientific journey started at the University in Groningen, which sparked my interest in using biological diversity to distinguish general from species-specific mechanisms of behavior. To gain hands-on experience in behavioral genetics, I pursued my Master’s degrees in Cognitive Neuroscience and Medical Biology at the Radboud University, which included an internship in the lab of Gerard Martens, focusing on the molecular basis of experience-dependent plasticity in the rat barrel cortex, and a project investigating adult neurogenesis in the zebra finch song system in the lab of Constance Scharff (Free University of Berlin).

I obtained my PhD in the lab of Roger Adan at Utrecht University, where I became proficient in the design, production and application of viral vectors to study gene-behavior relations and neural circuit functioning in the regulation of feeding behavior. Using adeno-associated vectors (AAVs) in rtas, I manipulated gene expression of obesity-associated genes (knockdown & overexpression) and found that hypothalamic Negr1 regulates aspects of energy balance. I also pioneered the combined use of the retrograde Cav2-CRE with chemogenetics to show that VTA->NAC projections control operant conditioning. 

My passion for glial biology developed in the lab of Raffaella Tonini at the Italian Institute of Technology, where I studied the role of astrocytic glutamate transporter EAAT2 in behavioral flexibility in mice. I applied Vivo-Morpholino technology and chemogenetic manipulation of astrocytes in an operant conditioning paradigm to show that astrocytic regulation of EAAT2 expression is required for behavioral inflexibility.  

Under the supervision of Larry Young at Emory University in Atlanta, USA, I leveraged my skills in behavioral genetics to fully engage myself in comparative neuroscience as I developed an AAV-CRISR/Cas9 approach that reduces oxytocin receptor (OXTR) levels across rodent species. This project has yielded collaborations across the globe, where my collaborators use this approach to study OXTR signaling in (non)-traditional animal models such as rats, spiny mice and california deer mice. In addition, I studied the molecular mechanisms that link natural variation in oxytocin signaling to promiscuous versus monogamous mating strategies in prairie voles – a small rodent that forms long-term pair bond and performs bi-parental care. Using a suite of sequencing approaches (single nucleus/bulk RNA-seq, ATAC-seq), genetically engineered voles, and spine quantification, I have discovered a link between oxytocin signaling, neuroimmune pathways and neurodevelopment. These works form the basis of my current research program.

I joined the ACHUCARRO in March 2025, where I exploit  the diverse genetic backgrounds of distinct mouse strains to understand how genetic variation in oxytocin signaling and the natural killer gene complex drives neuron-gla interactions to shape individual neurodevelopmental trajectories towards adult sociality.