Faculty Member
Assistant Professor
Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology
College of Life Sciences
University of California, Los Angeles
4365A Life Science Building
621 Charles E Young Dr S,
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Research Interests
Dr. Valerie Tornini is a developmental biologist who investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of cell specification and specialization in development, particularly of the brain. Her work focuses on understanding the evolving roles of chromatin regulators (including those implicated in autism) and of micropeptides (or sORF-encoded proteins) in vertebrate development. By using zebrafish and other comparative animal models, she is taking candidate and discovery approaches to investigate the gene regulatory networks that establish the cellular diversity of the developing brain. This includes the application of genome engineering, single-cell technologies, behavioral analyses, and pharmacological approaches. Her lab’s current work spans multiple areas, including identifying roles for novel micropeptides in neurodevelopment; chromatin regulators in vertebrate development and behavior; non-neuronal regulation during development and aging; the evolution of vertebrate brain cell states; and bioethics, neuroethics, and genetics.





