New research on signaling in neurofibromatosis type 1
The latest research article from the lab went live on PLOS Genetics today (proof ahead of print). This research uncovered how the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1 might drive different symptoms (behavioral changes and metabolic alterations) via actions on different signaling pathways.
This is the (last) first-author paper from graduate student Val Botero, the second lab paper from Anneke Knauss and Jenifer Barrios, the first from Greta Dahlen and Ethan Rosendahl, and a fun collaboration with Ken Colodner.
Read the full article at: PLOS Genetics
Daniel presents his research on signaling in Nf1 at the Pharmacology workshop
Pharmacology graduate student Daniel presented his research on cellular signaling in Nf1 and metabolism in the Pharmacology workshop today.
February lab event: Heartlanders hockey game
The lab ventured out for an Iowa Heartlanders hockey game on Saturday. The Heartlanders are Eastern Iowa's professional hockey team, playing at Xtreme Arena in Iowa River Landing in Coralville.
Catherine accepted to Biomedical Science Program
Lab technician Catherine Steele has been accepted into the Biomedical Sciences graduate program at the University of Iowa starting in 2026. Congratulations, Catherine!
New News is good news
After a hiatus, we now have a News page on the lab web site. Recent items are being added. Check here for updates in the future.
2025 Lab holiday party in the books
The lab holiday party was held this year at One Twenty Six in downtown Iowa City. A bit belated due to scheduling issues, it was well worth the wait. Pictured here is the aftermath of the gift exchange.
Seth Tomchik appointed co-PI of Genetics T32 Training Grant
Seth Tomchik has been appointed a PI on the longstanding “Predoctoral Training Program in Genetics” NIH/NIGMS T32 Training Grant.
Fall lab trip to Wilson's Orchard
The lab went to Wilson's Orchard on the outskirts of Iowa City for a fall day trip. Pizza, apple picking, and some live music were the order of the day. Pictured here are some of the lab members on a vintage tractor on the property.
Seth Tomchik endowed as Roy J. Carver Professor of Neuroscience IV
At the Carver College of Medicine Investiture Ceremony, Dr. Seth Tomchik received a Roy J. Carver Professorship in Neuroscience IV, along with Drs. Kathleen Sluka and Christopher Petkov. Seth is pictured here along with the lab members, photographed after the ceremony.
Neuroscience Graduate Program welcomes new students
The Neuroscience Graduate Program welcomed its incoming students at the annual welcome picnic at the amazing Picayune Creek Farms. Five members of the lab joined to help welcome the students.
Goose rocks the University of Iowa
Shortly after selling out Madison Square Garden, indie groove band Goose played the 2025 Fall Welcome Concert at the University of Iowa.
New bioRxiv preprint from the lab
Latest preprint from the lab, describing how cellular signaling changes in neurofibromatosis type 1 affect two behavioral and metabolic phenotypes. Loss of Nf1 increases Ras, but these phenotypes differ in their dependence on downstream signaling.
Saying goodbye to Jenny Wagenhoffer
The lab went bowling to celebrate Jenny Wagenhoffer's summer in the lab and wish her continued success in the rest of her studies.
Valentina Botero moving to Davidson College
Dr. Valentina Botero, Ph.D. graduate from the lab currently wrapping up her research as a postdoc, is heading out to her permanent position as the Assistant Director of Premedicine and Allied Health at Davidson College. Best of luck, Val!
Hannah Brunner and Seth Tomchik present at the NF conference
Seth Tomchik and Hannah Brunner attended the 2025 Children's Tumor Foundation Neurofibromatosis Conference in Washington, D.C., giving a talk and a poster. They are pictured here with Dr. Dawn Quelle, a fellow NF researcher from the University of Iowa.
Several lab members present research at the Hawk-IDDRC Retreat
The lab attended the annual retreat of the Hawk-IDDRC, one of 15 Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Centers in the U.S. Several lab members presented their posters of their research, including Cole (pictured), Catherine, and Kara.
Genetics Program Celebrates its 50th Anniversary
The University of Iowa's esteemed Genetics Program celebrated its 50th anniversary. The annual retreat this year was a celebration of the program's accomplishments over this time, fetauring a panel of current/former students and faculty. Several lab members participated to support the program, including Genetics graduate student Cole and Seth.
Going away celebration for Jenifer Barrios
The lab went out to 30 Hop to wish long-time lab undergrad Jenifer good luck as she heads out to her new position in Chicago.
Seth contributes to review integrating findings from NF1 task force
The first Cognition and Behavior in NF1 (CABIN) meeting at Cold Spring Harbor produced a perspective summarizing the state of understanding of neurofibromatosis type 1 and a proposed plan for future investigation to improve the quality of life of those with NF1.
New NF1 research published in Journal of Neuroscience
Our latest manuscript of the role of Nf1 in regulating behavior was just published in the Journal of Neuroscience. Neurofibromatosis type 1 affects brain/neuronal function. We found that the neurofibromin (Nf1) protein modulates the patterning and prioritization of motor behaviors in a state-dependent manner in Drosophila. The study was led by lab postbacc Genesis Omana Suarez (now a graduate student at Mayo Clinic), and included contributions from multiple lab members, as well as collaborator Salil Bidaye and his lab.
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/45/16/e1531242025.long
The paper was highlighted in "This Week in the Journal"
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/45/16/etwij45162025
Lab holiday party held in Amana
This year, we did something a little different for the lab holiday party. It was held at the Millstream Brauhaus in historic Amana, Iowa. We took the upstream dining area, up the stairs pictured here.
Lab attends the Society for Neuroscience Meeting
Several members of the lab attended the annual society for Neuroscience meeting, including Seth, Val, and rotation student Prerana (all pictured here). Val presented her research on the role of Nf1 in regulating metabolism.
Neuroscience Graduate Program welcomes new students
The Neuroscience Graduate Program welcomes its incoming class of students with a picnic at Picayune Creek Farms. Lab rotation student Prerana Ramanan is standing and speaking at the top right of the photo.
Review of neuronal and metabolic alterations in NF1 published
A new review by Valentina Botero and Seth Tomchik, published in the Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, integrates findings on brain/behavioral symptoms and metabolic alterations in neurofibromatosis type 1.
Review on neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders published
A new review published by Aaron Stahl and Seth Tomchik in the journal Learning and Memory highlights the state of the art in modeling neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders in Drosophila, specifically focusing on the role of the mushroom body.
Read the full article at: CSHL Press
Trio of articles on nervous system imaging in Drosophila published
Tamara Boto and Seth Tomchik published a trio of methods papers in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols describing approaches for nervous system imaging in Drosophila.
Imaging Olfactory Learning-Induced Plasticity in Vivo in the Drosophila Brain
Celebration for Genesis heading to graduate school
In a bittersweet moment, the time has come to wish postbacc Genesis the best of luck as she departs for graduate school. Genesis joined the lab as an undergraduate intern at Scripps, moved with us to the University of Iowa as a postbacc, and is now entering the graduate program at the Mayo Clinic.
Lab attends the Genetics Society of America's TAGC Conference
Members of the lab attended the Genetics Society of America's TAGC conference (The Allied Genetics Conference) in Washington, D.C. Attendees included Aaron, Val, Anneke, and Hannah, and Seth, all of whom presented talks or posters. Pictured here is Aaron right before his talk.
Connor heads out to new position in the U.S. Army
Dr. Connor Broyles (now Capt. Broyles) is heading out from the lab to start a new position as a Biochemist in the U.S. Army. Only a few of these highly-competititve positions are offered each year, and Connor worked for several years to earn this position. The lab held a going-away celebration at Wildwood. Since we somehow did not get photos then, this picture is from SfN, where we caught up more recently.
Seth visits Tamara Boto lab at Trinity College Dublin
While traveling to the Mushroom Body Conference in Gottingen, Seth stopped by Dublin to visit the lab of lab alum Dr. Tamara Boto. Tamara has carried her novel research on the role of dopaminergic circuits in learning and memory forward in her own lab, along with expanding into several new areas.
Dr. Valentina Botero receives Ph.D. at commencement
Dr. Valentina Botero received her Ph.D. from the Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Scripps Research at a commencement ceremony in La Jolla.
Celebration dinner for Val
Several members of the lab made the trip down from Iowa to see Val's defense in person. We went out for a celebration dinner at Elisabetta's Ristorante in West Palm Beach, along with Val's friends, family, and supporters from Scripps Florida.
Valentina Botero defends doctoral dissertation
Val successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in the Skaggs School of Chemical and Biological Sciences. The defense was held at Scripps Florida and commencement will be at the Scripps Research California campus in La Jolla.
Lab spotted at lunch by Google Street View car
On a recent warm spring day, we went out for lunch as a lab, grabbing takeout at different spots and meeting up near the Old Capitol. While eating, we saw a Google Street View car go by. Connor soon found our candid shot on Google maps in Iowa City.
Lab attends the GSA 64th Annual Drosophila Research Conference
Several members of the lab (Genesis, Val, and Seth) attended the annual Genetics Society of America's Drosophila Research Conference. Val gave a talk (pictured) and Genesis presented a poster.
Neuroscience and Pharmacology Holiday Party
The Neuroscience and Pharmacology Department threw its holiday party this year in beautiful Old Brick, an event space that is a historical church. Built in 1856, this building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Pictured here is one of our lab's tables.
Lab Thanksgiving celebration
Many of the lab members stayed in town for Thanksgiving this year, so we decided to throw a (decidedly non-traditional) lab Thanksgiving celebration at Big Grove in Iowa City.
Lab members attend CSHL Molecular Mechanisms of Neuronal Connectivity Conference
Genesis, Val, and Seth attended Cold Spring Harbor's Molecular Mechanisms of Neuronal Connectivity Conference. Genesis and Val presented posters. Val won a poster award for the conference (pictured here receiving the prize).
Laser tag send-off for Jordan
The lab went out for an evening of laser tag to celebrate Jordan's summer research and wish her the best of luck with the remainder of her studies at the University of Alabama.
Celebration for the acceptance of Aaron's paper in eLife
The lab went out for dinner at Dune Dog to celebrate the acceptance of Aaron's manuscript in eLife. Coauthors, lab members, and our admin Melissa came to celebrate.
The Missing Years
We missed updating the page with some important news in these years. For posterity's sake, we are slowly filling some back in here. Stay tuned!
The Archive
Research from the Tomchik lab finds that neurofibromin modulates metabolic rate via neuronal mechanisms.
July 13, 2021 - Nature Communications
July 13, 2021 - Scripps Research - News
The Tomchik lab welcomes Dr. Connor Broyles, Research Associate, to the lab. Welcome!
August 3, 2020 - Lab Members
A new study from the lab reports that loss of Nf1 results in repetitive behavior (spontaneous grooming) via developmental effects on distributed neuronal circuits.
July 22, 2020 - PLOS Genetics
The Tomchik lab was award an R01 grant from NIH/NINDS to study how dopaminergic circuits modulate learning and arousal-mediated memory enhancement.
July 15, 2020
Dr. Tamara Boto will be joining the department of Physiology at Trinity College Dublin as an Assistant Professor in May, 2020. Congratulations, Tamara!
February 17, 2020 - Physiology, Trinity College Dublin
New research results from the Tomchik lab suggest that loss of NF1 alters metabolic rate in a Drosophila model of neurofibromatosis type 1.
November 8, 2019 – bioRxiv
A new study from the Tomchik lab reveals how different dopaminergic circuits regulate the valence and strength of aversive olfactory memory.
May 14, 2019 - Science Direct
May 14, 2019 - EurekAlert
May 14, 2019 - The Scripps Research Institute - News Release
We’re proud of our recent interns, and wish them the best of luck! Congratulations for recent admissions to Jordyn (Vanderbilt), Eliza (Emory), Varun (Georgia Tech), and Chevara (Columbia).
April 8, 2019
The Tomchik lab is now on Twitter – follow us @TomchikLab.
November 28, 2018 - Twitter
Seth Tomchik lectures and runs a lab, with Aaron Stahl, in the “Drosophila Neurobiology: Genes, Circuits & Behavior” course at Cold Spring Harbor.
July 9, 2018 - Cold Spring Harbor
Congratulations to Eamon Byrnes for acceptance into the M.D. program at the FSU College of Medicine. Best of luck!
June 12, 2018
Sara K. Simpson and Yoheilly Velazquez have been accepted into Ph.D. programs at MIT and UTSW, respectively. Congratulations and best of luck!
May 8, 2018
Congratulations to Val Botero for admission into the Scripps graduate program. Welcome!
March 12, 2018
Research from the Tomchik lab reports that reward learning drives strong, cAMP-dependent plasticity in a memory-encoding brain region of Drosophila.
January 16, 2018 - PNAS
The Tomchik lab was award an R01 grant from NIH/NINDS to study how Neurofibromatosis type 1 affects neurons and behavior.
May 31, 2017 - The Scripps Research Institute - News Release
Valentina Botero, a summer 2016 intern, has rejoined the lab as a full-time research assistant. Welcome back, Val!
May 31, 2017 - Lab Members
The lab welcomes Dr. Aaron Stahl as our newest Research Associate.
May 8, 2017 - Lab Members
Sara Simpson is a finalist for the Undergraduate Research Award at the AChemS conference. Congratulations, Sara!
April 29th, 2017 – AChemS
Valentino Botero received an honorable mention for her poster presentation at the NorthEast Undergraduate Research on Neuroscience (NEURON) meeting. Congratulations, Val!
February 27, 2017
Congratulations to Afshin Khalili, who was selected to present the graduate student talk at Scripps Research Fest.
October 21, 2016 - The Scripps Research Institute, Research Fest
Congratulations to Sara Simpson for placing second in the Scripps Undergraduate Summer Internship Research Poster Presentation.
August 12, 2016 – The Scripps Research Institute - News Release
Congratulations to Dr. Lani King for the publication of his Journal Club article in the Journal of Neuroscience.
August 10, 2016 - The Journal of Neuroscience
Research from the Tomchik lab: Overly fastidious flies shed light on neurofibromatosis.
May 2, 2016 - Genes to Genomes May 2, 2016 - YouTube
Research from the Tomchik lab finds a link between Nf1 and excessive grooming in Drosophila.
February 19, 2016 – G3 Genes | Genomes | Genetics
The Tomchik lab welcomes new Research Associate, Dr. Lanikea King.
July 15, 2015 – Lab Members
Congratulations to Dr. Marta Koch, who accepted a position as an editor at Cell.
March 1, 2015
Tomchik lab awarded a Whitehall Foundation grant to study cellular and molecular mechanisms of memory formation.
December 1, 2014 – Whitehall Foundation (www.whitehall.org)
Dr. Thierry Louis, a Research Associate in the Tomchik lab, accepted to the 2014 Cold Spring Harbor Drosophila Neurobiology course.
May 8, 2014
Dr. Marta Koch received a FWO travel grant to support her research in the Tomchik lab.
May 1, 2014 - The FWO
Research from the Tomchik lab shows how dopamine and cAMP signaling allocate learning-related plasticity in the brain.
March 27, 2014 - EurekaAlert
March 27, 2014 - Science Daily
March 27, 2014 - Medical Express
March 27, 2014 - The Scripps Research Institute - News Release
Dr. Seth Tomchik shows how brain cells shape temperature preferences.
January 29, 2013 - EurekaAlert
February 25, 2013 -The Scripps Research Institute - News Release
Scripps Research Institute Appoints Memory Researcher to Faculty.
January 24, 2013 - The Scripps Research Institute - News Release
Scripps Florida researchers probe causes of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's through the brains of flies, mice.
January 10, 2010 - Palm Beach Post