Meet Zandawala
@zandawala.bsky.social
Assistant Professor (University of Nevada Reno)
Group leader (University of Würzburg)
Interested in neuromodulation of Drosophila physiology and behavior
Group leader (University of Würzburg)
Interested in neuromodulation of Drosophila physiology and behavior
Pinned
Anti-diuretic hormone ITP signals via a guanylate cyclase receptor to modulate systemic homeostasis in Drosophila
A multi-pronged approach reveals that ion transport peptide neuropeptide acts through the guanylate cyclase receptor Gyc76C to coordinate osmotic and metabolic homeostasis across multiple tissues in D...
doi.org
🚀 New paper alert!
Thrilled to share our latest study led by postdoc
@gera_jayati
published in eLife.
👉 doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Continue reading for a summary. 🧵
Thrilled to share our latest study led by postdoc
@gera_jayati
published in eLife.
👉 doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Continue reading for a summary. 🧵
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
🚨 Postdoc openings!
We’re looking for postdocs excited about sleep, synapses & cellular neurophysiology (fly or mouse).
Yes, we also have mouse projects!
See details: www.flysleeplab.com/positions
We’re looking for postdocs excited about sleep, synapses & cellular neurophysiology (fly or mouse).
Yes, we also have mouse projects!
See details: www.flysleeplab.com/positions
Positions | flysleeplab
www.flysleeplab.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:22 PM
🚨 Postdoc openings!
We’re looking for postdocs excited about sleep, synapses & cellular neurophysiology (fly or mouse).
Yes, we also have mouse projects!
See details: www.flysleeplab.com/positions
We’re looking for postdocs excited about sleep, synapses & cellular neurophysiology (fly or mouse).
Yes, we also have mouse projects!
See details: www.flysleeplab.com/positions
🚀 New paper alert!
Thrilled to share our latest study led by postdoc
@gera_jayati
published in eLife.
👉 doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Continue reading for a summary. 🧵
Thrilled to share our latest study led by postdoc
@gera_jayati
published in eLife.
👉 doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Continue reading for a summary. 🧵
Anti-diuretic hormone ITP signals via a guanylate cyclase receptor to modulate systemic homeostasis in Drosophila
A multi-pronged approach reveals that ion transport peptide neuropeptide acts through the guanylate cyclase receptor Gyc76C to coordinate osmotic and metabolic homeostasis across multiple tissues in D...
doi.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:59 PM
🚀 New paper alert!
Thrilled to share our latest study led by postdoc
@gera_jayati
published in eLife.
👉 doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Continue reading for a summary. 🧵
Thrilled to share our latest study led by postdoc
@gera_jayati
published in eLife.
👉 doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Continue reading for a summary. 🧵
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Preparations for the next JEDI meeting are underway! The upcoming Junior European #Drosophila Investigator / #NewPI meeting is planned for Portugal in June. Final dates and additional details will be announced soon - stay tuned for updates!
October 28, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Preparations for the next JEDI meeting are underway! The upcoming Junior European #Drosophila Investigator / #NewPI meeting is planned for Portugal in June. Final dates and additional details will be announced soon - stay tuned for updates!
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Excited to return as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila 🪰Neurobiology course in 2026!
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Drosophila Neurobiology: Genes, Circuits & Behavior
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Meetings & Courses -- a private, non-profit institution with research programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology, genomics, bioinformatics.
meetings.cshl.edu
November 8, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Excited to return as co-director of the CSHL Drosophila 🪰Neurobiology course in 2026!
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Application Deadline: March 27
meetings.cshl.edu/courses.aspx...
@cshlnews.bsky.social
@cshlaboratory.bsky.social
@cshlcourses.bsky.social
#cshlflycourse
#scicomm
#drosophila
🪰🧪
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
I am glad to say that the first manuscript from the lab is now available on BioRxiv
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.30.685496v1
We set out to answer a simple question:
If the fruit fly #drosophila cannot see clearly, how would they #sleep?
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.30.685496v1
We set out to answer a simple question:
If the fruit fly #drosophila cannot see clearly, how would they #sleep?
November 4, 2025 at 11:05 AM
I am glad to say that the first manuscript from the lab is now available on BioRxiv
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.30.685496v1
We set out to answer a simple question:
If the fruit fly #drosophila cannot see clearly, how would they #sleep?
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.30.685496v1
We set out to answer a simple question:
If the fruit fly #drosophila cannot see clearly, how would they #sleep?
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Do flies feel pain?
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 29, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Do flies feel pain?
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
A functional clock in only two dorsal clock neurons is sufficient to restore the basal circadian activity pattern of Drosophila melanogaster | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A functional clock in only two dorsal clock neurons is sufficient to restore the basal circadian activity pattern of Drosophila melanogaster | PNAS
Circadian clocks form complex networks to orchestrate the behavior and physiology
of animals. Elucidating the organization of these clock networks ...
www.pnas.org
October 28, 2025 at 6:53 PM
A functional clock in only two dorsal clock neurons is sufficient to restore the basal circadian activity pattern of Drosophila melanogaster | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
We are thrilled to announce the inaugural Metabolism in Development & Physiology virtual seminar, a new series connecting researchers across all stages & disciplines in metabolism!
🗓 13 Nov 2025, 16:00 CET
🎙 Alexander Aulehla (EMBL Heidelberg), &
🎙 Christopher Bell (Uni of Oxford)
See you there!
🗓 13 Nov 2025, 16:00 CET
🎙 Alexander Aulehla (EMBL Heidelberg), &
🎙 Christopher Bell (Uni of Oxford)
See you there!
October 28, 2025 at 4:13 PM
We are thrilled to announce the inaugural Metabolism in Development & Physiology virtual seminar, a new series connecting researchers across all stages & disciplines in metabolism!
🗓 13 Nov 2025, 16:00 CET
🎙 Alexander Aulehla (EMBL Heidelberg), &
🎙 Christopher Bell (Uni of Oxford)
See you there!
🗓 13 Nov 2025, 16:00 CET
🎙 Alexander Aulehla (EMBL Heidelberg), &
🎙 Christopher Bell (Uni of Oxford)
See you there!
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint:
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
October 15, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint:
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Exciting news for #drosophila #connectomics and #neuroscience enthusiasts: the Drosophila male central nervous system connectome is now live for exploration. Find out more at the landing page hosted by our Janelia FlyEM collaborators www.janelia.org/project-team....
Male CNS Connectome
A team of researchers has unveiled the complete connectome of a male fruit fly central nervous system —a seamless map of all the neurons in the brain and nerve cord of a single male fruit fly and the ...
www.janelia.org
October 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Exciting news for #drosophila #connectomics and #neuroscience enthusiasts: the Drosophila male central nervous system connectome is now live for exploration. Find out more at the landing page hosted by our Janelia FlyEM collaborators www.janelia.org/project-team....
Any fly neuroscience folks going to SfN this year?
August 25, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Any fly neuroscience folks going to SfN this year?
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Neuronal diversity is written in transcriptional codes 🧬. But what is the logic of these codes that define cell types and wiring patterns?
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
August 21, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Neuronal diversity is written in transcriptional codes 🧬. But what is the logic of these codes that define cell types and wiring patterns?
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Comparative transcriptomics of lateral hypothalamic cell types reveals conserved growth hormone-tachykinin dynamics in feeding https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.28.667087v1
July 31, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Comparative transcriptomics of lateral hypothalamic cell types reveals conserved growth hormone-tachykinin dynamics in feeding https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.28.667087v1
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
With @megyounger.bsky.social's lab, et al., we present the first connectomics work in the disease-vector mosquito Aedes aegypti, revealing how its brain is wired to detect host cues.
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#Neuroscience #Connectomics #vEM #VectorBiology 🧪
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#Neuroscience #Connectomics #vEM #VectorBiology 🧪
August 3, 2025 at 3:51 AM
With @megyounger.bsky.social's lab, et al., we present the first connectomics work in the disease-vector mosquito Aedes aegypti, revealing how its brain is wired to detect host cues.
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#Neuroscience #Connectomics #vEM #VectorBiology 🧪
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#Neuroscience #Connectomics #vEM #VectorBiology 🧪
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
How is the nervous system organized to coordinate behavior? To approach this massive question, a team led by @asbates.bsky.social, @jasper-tms.bsky.social, @mindyisminsu.bsky.social, & Helen Yang present the BANC: a Brain and Nerve Cord connectome.
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🧪#Neuroskyence
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🧪#Neuroskyence
August 3, 2025 at 3:16 PM
How is the nervous system organized to coordinate behavior? To approach this massive question, a team led by @asbates.bsky.social, @jasper-tms.bsky.social, @mindyisminsu.bsky.social, & Helen Yang present the BANC: a Brain and Nerve Cord connectome.
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🧪#Neuroskyence
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🧪#Neuroskyence
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Public access to the first fly connectome that spans the whole CNS - BANC!: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)
We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)
We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...
August 2, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Public access to the first fly connectome that spans the whole CNS - BANC!: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)
We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)
We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Happy Friday! The female adult fly brain-and-nerve-cord (BANC) connectome is now LIVE!
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
a man with a mustache in a blue suit says tiny celebration in front of a group of people
ALT: a man with a mustache in a blue suit says tiny celebration in front of a group of people
media.tenor.com
August 1, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Happy Friday! The female adult fly brain-and-nerve-cord (BANC) connectome is now LIVE!
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
I definitely never regretted the decision to leave New York for Stockholm and Karolinska - now you can join us: big call for assistant professors across medical disciplines coming up. news.ki.se/ki-to-recrui...
KI to recruit junior researchers with a focus on excellence
On 25 June, Karolinska Institutet will be starting a major recruitment drive for 20 junior researchers with a focus on excellence and mobility. As one of Europe’s leading medical universities, KI offe...
news.ki.se
June 19, 2025 at 6:08 AM
I definitely never regretted the decision to leave New York for Stockholm and Karolinska - now you can join us: big call for assistant professors across medical disciplines coming up. news.ki.se/ki-to-recrui...
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
We have open PhD positions in the lab to work in the Neuroscience of #Cephalopods #Cnidaria and #Drosophila-
please RT
www.sprecherlab.com
please RT
www.sprecherlab.com
Home
www.sprecherlab.com
March 19, 2025 at 5:50 PM
We have open PhD positions in the lab to work in the Neuroscience of #Cephalopods #Cnidaria and #Drosophila-
please RT
www.sprecherlab.com
please RT
www.sprecherlab.com
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
We're hiring! Our lab is looking for a postdoc to investigate the #evodevo of #cephalopod brains. Did you recently graduate, and do you want to join our EU #WEAVE project with the Simakov and @simon-sprecher.bsky.social labs? Find the application form👇Thanks for RT 🐙🦑
www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
Postdoctoral researcher in evolutionary developmental neurobiology
Come join our EU cephalopod consortium to discover how octopuses and other coleoids developed their large nervous system. Postdoc position available in the Seuntjens Lab in Leuven, Belgium.
www.kuleuven.be
May 15, 2025 at 10:11 AM
We're hiring! Our lab is looking for a postdoc to investigate the #evodevo of #cephalopod brains. Did you recently graduate, and do you want to join our EU #WEAVE project with the Simakov and @simon-sprecher.bsky.social labs? Find the application form👇Thanks for RT 🐙🦑
www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
We are very pleased to share that our paper on sexual dimorphism in circadian rhythms has been published in @plosbiology.org. This work was led by the very talented Aishwarya Iyer and includes contributions from three undergraduate co-authors.
You can read the full study here:
You can read the full study here:
Sexual dimorphism in the #Drosophila #circadian pacemaker. @aishwaryaramak6.bsky.social @mariadelapax.bsky.social &co show that female flies are more resilient to disruptions in circadian rhythms caused by changes in the PDF pathway or pacemaker cell clock speed @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4kbWuzg
May 7, 2025 at 12:25 PM
We are very pleased to share that our paper on sexual dimorphism in circadian rhythms has been published in @plosbiology.org. This work was led by the very talented Aishwarya Iyer and includes contributions from three undergraduate co-authors.
You can read the full study here:
You can read the full study here:
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
I'm thrilled to see the latest work from the lab published today @currentbiology.bsky.social. This project was carried by PhD student Jinfang Li, who combined the Flywire connectome with functional experiments to examine the principles of taste circuits in the fly brain. (Image by Jacelyn Shu)
May 6, 2025 at 7:27 PM
I'm thrilled to see the latest work from the lab published today @currentbiology.bsky.social. This project was carried by PhD student Jinfang Li, who combined the Flywire connectome with functional experiments to examine the principles of taste circuits in the fly brain. (Image by Jacelyn Shu)
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
New paper out in @elife.bsky.social!
Antarctic krill use their clock to control daily rhythms of swimming activity across a wide range of photoperiods, which helps them adapt to their high-latitude habitat🌊🦐🕖☀️
Great collaboration between @uni-wuerzburg.de, @awi.de, @hifmb.de!
doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Antarctic krill use their clock to control daily rhythms of swimming activity across a wide range of photoperiods, which helps them adapt to their high-latitude habitat🌊🦐🕖☀️
Great collaboration between @uni-wuerzburg.de, @awi.de, @hifmb.de!
doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
A circadian clock drives behavioral activity in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and provides a potential mechanism for seasonal timing
Behavioral experiments provide strong evidence that krill swimming behavior is controlled by biological clocks throughout the year, revealing a key mechanism for adaptation to high-latitude habitats.
doi.org
May 5, 2025 at 1:52 PM
New paper out in @elife.bsky.social!
Antarctic krill use their clock to control daily rhythms of swimming activity across a wide range of photoperiods, which helps them adapt to their high-latitude habitat🌊🦐🕖☀️
Great collaboration between @uni-wuerzburg.de, @awi.de, @hifmb.de!
doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Antarctic krill use their clock to control daily rhythms of swimming activity across a wide range of photoperiods, which helps them adapt to their high-latitude habitat🌊🦐🕖☀️
Great collaboration between @uni-wuerzburg.de, @awi.de, @hifmb.de!
doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
Reposted by Meet Zandawala
This paper is the result of funding from the BBSRC that I received in 2022 for my independent research. Then, since 2023, I’ve led my own lab focused on receptor deorphanisation and evolution of the nervous system, If you're interested in large-scale GPCR testing or collaborations, get in touch!
New insights into neurotransmitter evolution from a GPCR screen in Trichoplax, a neuron-less animal.
with Yanez-Guerra et al.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.18.649542v1
Trichoplax has tryptamine, tyramine, and phenethylamine receptors […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
with Yanez-Guerra et al.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.18.649542v1
Trichoplax has tryptamine, tyramine, and phenethylamine receptors […]
[Original post on biologists.social]
April 30, 2025 at 10:09 AM
This paper is the result of funding from the BBSRC that I received in 2022 for my independent research. Then, since 2023, I’ve led my own lab focused on receptor deorphanisation and evolution of the nervous system, If you're interested in large-scale GPCR testing or collaborations, get in touch!