Daniel A. Dombeck, PhD

Daniel A. Dombeck is a Professor of Neurobiology at Northwestern University whose laboratory investigates the cellular, circuit, and plasticity mechanisms that support navigation and behavior in mammals. With a background in physics and biophysics, he helped pioneer non-linear optical methods and two-photon imaging approaches that enabled the first cellular-resolution functional imaging in awake, mobile mice and in virtual reality environments. His group now applies advanced in vivo imaging, electrophysiology, and genetic tools to study hippocampal, entorhinal, and midbrain dopamine circuits during navigation and learning, including work redefining heterogeneity of substantia nigra dopamine neurons relevant to Parkinson’s disease. He also leads a long-standing NIH training program on the neurobiology of information storage and contributes to multi-investigator efforts that couple cutting-edge imaging with computational and behavioral approaches to understand planning and social neural synchrony. ​