Maxwell Heiman, Ph.D.

We are interested in the basis of cellular architecture – that is, how a cell gets its shape. For example, how does a neuron know how long its dendrites need to be to reach their targets? How do cells of diverse types coordinate their shapes in order to assemble an organ? We take advantage of the highly stereotyped development of the nematode C. elegans to identify the genetic programs that specify the shape of a cell and the contacts it makes with its neighbors.