Kurt Marsden

Bio

Dr. Kurt Marsden received his B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College, where he pursued a variety of subjects including music, history, psychology, and the natural sciences. After graduating, he entered the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he received his Ph.D in Neuroscience. His thesis work with Dr. Reed Carroll revealed novel molecular pathways underlying the plasticity of inhibitory synapses in the hippocampus and earned him the Julius Marmur Research Award. Dr. Marsden then did his postdoctoral research with Dr. Michael Granato at the University of Pennsylvania, studying the genetics of behavior in larval zebrafish.

The overarching goal of the Marsden lab is to better understand the processes underlying neurological disease by uncovering how genetic and environmental factors impact the development of neural circuits and behavior. Using zebrafish as our model system, we take a variety of experimental approaches including gene expression analysis, high-throughput behavioral testing, 3- and 4-D analysis of neural circuits, simultaneous imaging of neuronal activity and behavior, and optogenetic techniques.

Awards

2023, University Faculty Scholar

2021, Goodnight Early Career Innovator