The focus of research in the Jeremy Dasen laboratory is to elucidate the principles underlying the formation and function of circuits in the developing nervous system. Because of its relative simplicity and genetic accessibility, Dasen studies the assembly of motor circuits in the vertebrate spinal cord. His lab’s work focuses on the large and diverse family of genes encoding transcription factors and exploring their roles in determining the identity and connectivity of the neural cell types that control movement. He is interested in exploring the intersection between early genetic programs, synaptic specificity and motor behaviors using both traditional and non-traditional model organisms. Dasen has worked for over 20 years on the study of the mechanisms through which fate determinants contribute to cell differentiation and have extensive experience in using mouse genetics, embryological manipulations and molecular approaches to study nervous system development and function.