Weill Cornell Medical College The Rockefeller University Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Apply Online Application Due: December 1, 2013

TPCB Faculty

Joshua Levitz, PhD

Weill Cornell Medical College

Education

PhD, 2014, University of California, Berkeley

BS, 2009, American University

Research Topics

  • Bioactive Small Molecules
    • Rational drug design
    • Chemical probe development
  • Macromolecular Structure and Function
    • Single molecule methods
  • Chemical Cell Biology
    • Cellular imaging
  • Biotechnology
    • Protein engineering

Therapeutic Areas

  • Neuroscience

photoMembrane signaling proteins provide the molecular basis for many neurological functions and the pathophysiology of many neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. However, it remains a major challenge to fully elucidate the dynamic molecular processes of their assembly and function and to interpret those properties in the context of cellular, synaptic, circuit, and behavioral function. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which serve as the largest family of drug targets in biology, provide a particular challenge because of their complex activation and signaling properties, expression patterns, and diverse roles in neurophysiology and behavior. The Levitz lab uses high-resolution optical and chemical methods, including development of chemical optogenetic tools and single molecule fluorescence-based assays, to elucidate the fundamental biophysical processes that drive receptor function and to gain a deeper understanding of the role of individual receptors and downstream effectors in synapse function and disease.

Read more about Prof. Levitz’s research on the Weill Cornell website

Apply Online!