I am a researcher investigating how brain circuits compute value and drive motivated behaviour and how these mechanisms become biased in addiction. My research focuses on brainstem neuromodulatory control of mesolimbic circuitry, with a particular emphasis on the laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) and its interactions with the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a key hub for reinforcement learning and reward-guided action selection.

My work combines circuit anatomy, behavioural assays, and in vivo recordings with causal manipulations to link neural dynamics to behaviour. We use projection- and cell-type-specific viral strategies, optogenetics, high-density multichannel electrophysiology and longitudinal monitoring of population activity using fibre photometry and miniscope calcium imaging in freely behaving mice. In parallel, we leverage genetically encoded biosensors to measure neuromodulatory signals in vivo and integrate computational analyses to reveal how circuit interactions evolve across behavioural states and drug exposure. My research aims to provide principled insight into how adaptive motivational states become maladaptive, contributing to vulnerability to substance use and other psychiatric disorders.