Charles Dowell, Ph.D.

Charlie Dowell is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Vanessa Ruta at Rockefeller University. He holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University College London and a B.A. in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. During his Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Isaac Bianco, Dowell studied how movement diversity is established by the central nervous system, using the rapid eye movements of larval zebrafish as a model. His work mapped the diversity of the larva’s oculomotor repertoire and identified circuit specializations that underpin precise visual fixations of prey during hunting.

Dowell is interested in the circuit mechanisms controlling innate behaviors and their underlying computations. His current research investigates how fruit flies use their sense of smell to navigate large distances to find food. By using neurogenetic tools and the complete wiring diagram (connectome) of the fruit fly brain, Dowell hopes to build a detailed description of how spatial memories of odor structure an animal’s navigational objectives.