My lab develops mathematical models of neural and endocrine systems and uses mathematical analysis and computational simulations to understand the dynamics of the models. This is done in collaboration with various experimental and theoretical labs at FSU and elsewhere. The lab works on several projects. One project investigates the basis of oscillatory activity of insulin-secreting pancreatic islets, and their synchronization. Dysfunction of islet activity is a major factor in type II diabetes. A second project looks at the electrical activity and calcium dynamics of hormone-secreting cells of the pituitary gland. These hormones modulate the secretion of hormones from all other endocrine glands in the body, and so the pituitary is sometimes called the “master gland”. A third project looks at the neural control of song production in the zebra finch, which has overlap with speech production in humans. A fourth project looks at dopamine-secreting neurons of the olfactory bulb. Dopamine neurons have important functions in the brain, and the largest population is found in the olfactory bulb, but this population is among the least studied. Finally, the lab is looking at the dynamics underlying one form of cardiac arrhythmia, generated by so-called early afterdepolarizations. Many of these projects involve a mathematical technique called fast-slow analysis, which is very useful in the study of systems that change on a number of distinct time scales. The postdoctoral scholar could work on any of these projects.