Dr. Paul is a Staff Scientist who joined the Ackerman lab in September of 2024. Dr. Paul did his Master’s training at Davi Ahilya University in India, where he developed new genetic tools in Drosophila. He then moved on to a successful Ph.D. thesis at Ruperto Carola University in Germany, where he explored zebrafish muscle regeneration (defended in 2009) . In the past 15 years, he has continued to expand his experience in zebrafish development, regeneration, and high-resolution imaging through multiple postdoctoral positions in the USA. Dr. Paul leverages his multi-system background and extensive cloning skills to create novel tools for multiple key projects within the Ackerman lab.

I am excited to be entering the field of neuroscience! I have always been curious about the nervous system, from its structure to its function, development to degeneration, and how that affects an organism’s health and its susceptibility to disease. In the Ackerman lab, I am gaining valuable experience on the mechanisms for how glia influence changes in neurons. I received my Bachelor’s in Wildlife Science and Agriculture and spent the beginning of my career working with exotic animals, focusing my skills on animal husbandry and conservation. I believe my background in wildlife science and work with exotic animals will give me a unique perspective, a broader understanding of biological diversity, which can be valuable in studying the nervous system across different species.

Open Positions:

Postbac/Technician
Rotation Student (WashU only)

My name is Ze Ou, and I am a second-year MD-PhD student at Washington University in St. Louis. I aspire to be a neurointensivist-scientist, caring for patients in critical conditions and creating methodologies that improve neuroregeneration after brain injuries. In line with these interests, my research goal is to characterize the structural and functional heterogeneity of astroglia across zebrafish development and then apply these findings to better understand recovery in different brain injury models (e.g. stroke or seizure). To do so, I aim to build a computational framework that can characterize the typical developmental trajectory of astrocytes and predict cell fates in response to varying perturbations.

Since I started my research career, I have been captivated by how the human body organizes itself at a microscopic level to create such a complex final product. At the University of Michigan, I studied the sub cellular components of the circadian clock in Drosophila. In Dr. Ackerman's lab, I am building on my experience in fly while focusing on understanding the cytoskeletal contributions to critical period termination and, exploring the potential consequences that cytoskeletal failures may have on neural development. Outside of the lab, I love to bake, travel, and play trombone!

My career goal is to be an independent research professor with a lab focused on identifying the cellular mechanisms impaired in neurocognitive disorders, like autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. During my graduate training, I gained extensive experience designing and performing electrophysiological experiments to study how synapses in the auditory brainstem are altered with age and varied sensory exposure. In my postdoctoral work in the Ackerman lab, I transitioned to Drosophila as a genetic model system where I can directly connect neural circuit activity, plasticity, and long-term circuit outcomes. I am thrilled to have the support of an NIH F32 (MH139159) to enable this exciting work!

I have always been fascinated by how the brain works. During my Master's, I built a custom microscope to compare responses to thermal stimuli across various species of nematode. In the Ackerman Lab, I have switched my focus to understanding the contribution of glial cells to neurodevelopmental disorders. Specifically, I am interested in investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying congenital disorders of glycosylation and brain overgrowth disorders. Outside of lab, I enjoy playing saxophone and clarinet, climbing, foosball, and maintaining my tank of non-mutated fish.