Research interests
The lab of Comparative Developmental Neurobiology (team leader: Nikos Konstantinides, CR) studies the evolution of developmental mechanisms that generate neuronal diversity. We are particularly interested in the mechanism of temporal patterning, which is the capacity of neuronal stem cells to generate different neurons as they age. Using Drosophila melanogaster and other insects (such as beetles, wasps, crickets, etc), we are trying to understand how differences in the temporal patterning of neuronal stem cells can lead to the generation of new neuronal types that can then lead to different behaviors.
Bioinformatic tools and methods commonly used
In the lab, we are using a variety of bioinformatic tools, depending on needs. Our “bread and butter” methods are the ones involved in single-cell sequencing analysis, such as clustering and trajectory inference, integration of single-cell sequencing atlases between insect species, etc. We are also occasionally users of machine learning algorithms, based on random forests and neural networks.
Bioinformaticians in the Team
Every member of the team might occasionally use bioinformatic tools. The ones that are currently using bioinformatics in the team is Elisavet Iliopoulou (mostly), Konstantina Filippopoulou (occasionally), and Nikos Konstantinides (occasionally).