Steven Zwick

Steven received his B.S in Physics from Yale University. After a rotation in a nuclear physics lab as an undergraduate, Steven became interested in the question of how decisions and fate choices are made in biological systems. He worked with Thierry Emonet to investigate how the Drosophila olfactory system processes information about different odors through neural coding, using computational modeling in accordance with neurophysiological measurements from olfactory receptor neurons. In particular, Steven was interested in the question of how an olfactory system can extract information about the identity of an odor independent of its concentration or when it is mixed with competing odors.

 

As a Ph.D student in Applied Physics department of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Steven now is interested in how mammalian tissues are patterned by signaling molecules during development. Using human embryonic stem cells as a model system and techniques such as microfluidics to administer signaling molecules, Steven is investigating how spatial and temporal dynamics of signaling can give rise to different patterns of cell fates. In recent results, he has shown that epithelial tissues can often be incompetent to measure their position along gradients of signaling molecules, depending on the polarization of the tissue and the localization of its receptors. His work suggests that when considering the patterning of epithelial tissues during development, a cell's proximity to a source of signaling molecules may not be sufficient to explain its fate choice. 

 

Outside of lab, Steven enjoys running, live music, and telling people they should watch The Wire already. Despite his current position at Harvard, Steven remains a proud Yale alumnus and steadfast Bulldogs fan.