Robert Kozol, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Florida Atlantic University, 2019-2023, PostdocUniversity of Miami, 2013-2019, Ph.D.University of Rhode Island, 2005-2009, B.S.

Research

The Kozol lab utilizes the blind Mexican cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus) as an evolutionary model to understand how differences in genes and neurons impact behavior. Cavefish provide a remarkable model for studying how environmental variation and genetic diversity manifest novel biological traits through the process of evolution. A. mexicanus exists as ~30 independently derived blind cave populations and river-dwelling eyed surface fish. Importantly, these populations can cross-fertilize and produce hybrid offspring, which allows us to map genes to novel biological traits. Cavefish have been found to have reduced sleep and stress, a loss of social behavior, and changes in sensorimotor integration. Our lab uses this unique group of organisms to study how changes at the neuronal and brain-wide scale impact behaviors related to sensory integration and brain homeostasis. 

For more information, please check out our laboratory website. https://a-cavefishneuroevoluti.vev.site/lab-website

BIO III INTRO ANAT & PHY LAB, BIO 3001L

MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE, BIO 210-0

BIO INTRO NEUROBIOLOGY, BIO 225-0