Welcome to the Dallman Lab Website!
Our research uses zebrafish to better understand how changes in genes affect behavior.
Our research uses zebrafish to better understand how changes in genes affect behavior.

News-Summer 2020
- Work from the Dallman lab and live zebrafish are part of the Power of Science exhibit at Frost Science! https://www.frostscience.org/exhibition/powerofscience/
- #Black Lives Matter
In the Dallman lab, we aim to foster a research environment that is welcoming. We are committed to taking a stand against all forms of racism. We strive to promote lab culture that helps to equalize opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds. By listening to and learning from one another, we believe that we can make a safer, more inspiring and more productive workplace to improve both science and society. This is a living document we will revisit and amend once per semester. - Labs on the Coral Gables Campus are initiating the first round of returning to research with SOPs for shift work, PPE, and physical distancing.
- Dr. Elena Buglo successfully defends her dissertation remotely! Congratulations Elena!!
- Dr. Elena Buglo publishes Genetic compensation in a stable slc25a46 mutant zebrafish: A case for using F0 CRISPR mutagenesis to study phenotypes caused by inherited disease. in Plos ONE. Congratulations Elena!
- Arryanna Jordan joins the lab. Welcome Arryanna!
- Fabrizio Darby joins the lab. Welcome Fabrizio!
- Julio Yanes joins the lab as a five-year BS/MS, pursuing his research masters. Welcome Julio!
- Chia-Jung joins the lab as a rotation student. Welcome Chia-Jung!
- The lab is collaborating with Frost Museum of Science www.frostscience.org on a zebrafish exhibit. Stay tuned...
- Julia and Sureni will remotely attend TAGC in Washington DC April 22-26 2020
- Ann Goulart joins the lab. Welcome Annie!
- Congratulations to David James--selected for a talk @ Zebrafish Neural Circuits & Behavior, Cold Spring Harbor NY, November 20-23 (2019)
- Congratulations to Hamzeh Alturk (undergraduate)--he won the 2019 ABRCMS presentation award in the Neuroscience section, Anaheim CA November 13-16 (2019).
- Sandra and Julia organize the first Southeast Regional Zebrafish Conference at Fairchild Tropical Garden December 13, 2019
- Congratulations to Ivan Varela- wins best undergraduate poster award @ SRZC.
- Congratulations to Dr. Robert A. Kozol who starts his post-doctoral work with Dr. Erik Duboué and other zebrafish/cavefish PIs Johanna Kowalko and Alex Keene at Florida Atlantic University
- Hamzeh Alturk joins the lab. Welcome Hamzeh!
- Ariana Gomez joins the lab for the summer from Notre Dame University. Welcome Ariana!
- Sureni Sumathipala presents her work at the 2019 International Zebrafish Conference in Suzhou China in June.
- David James and Rob Kozol present their work at the 2019 Zebrafish Disease Models Conference in Boston in July.
- Julia Dallman is appointed Director of Graduate Studies in Biology.
- Congratulations to Dr. Robert A. Kozol who defended his dissertation entitled "Deficits in hindbrain activity underlie sensory-motor hypo-reactivity in an autism spectrum disorder zebrafish model."
- Elizabeth Davidson transfers to the PhD program. Welcome Elizabeth!
- Emily Moraes and Suha Khan, two first year UM undergrads join the lab. Welcome Emily and Suha!
- Adam Wahl graduates from UM. Congratulations Adam!
- David James and Rob Kozol are co-first authors on a recently published study in Molecular Autism Intestinal dysmotility in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) shank3a;shank3b model of autism (https://rdcu.be/bjyj0 for link to the paper and https://news.miami.edu/stories/2019/02/see-through-fish-aid-scientists-in-autism-related-breakthrough.html for a story by Maya Bell about the study).
- Elizabeth Davidson joins the lab to pursue her master's. Welcome Elizabeth!
- Undergraduate Vince Sferra joins the lab. Welcome Vince!
- Julia is awarded CAS International Travel Grant to speak at the 5th Imaging Structure and Function in the Zebrafish Brain Conference in Brighton UK in November: zeebrain.co.uk
- Sureni and Julia will present their work at the 2nd International SYNGAP1 Symposium in Jupiter Florida http://bridgesyngap.org/syngapinternationalconference/
- The lab is awarded an NIH R21 grant to investigate mechanisms of 'Gastrointestinal Comorbidities in Autism Spectrum Disorder' using zebrafish.
- David James wins Best Poster Award at Phelan McDermid Syndrome Foundation McPosium. Congratulations David!
- Rob Kozol is the 2018 recipient of the Graduate Award for Excellence from the Graduate School at the University of Miami. He earned this award as a bold, careful, generous, and committed scientist who has defined a new area of inquiry into the early role of ASD-linked genes in nervous system development, with significant implications for both basic and applied science. Congratulations Rob!
- Elena Buglo is awarded a fellowship from the Americans Heart Association "Dissecting the molecular underpinning of complex multi-system disorders in gene editing studies." Congratulations Elena!
- David James is awarded a McKnight Fellowship. Congratulations David!
- David James abstract “Mo1542 - Gastrointestinal Dysmotility in a Zebrafish Model of Autism” ranked in the top 10% of the 4,273 abstracts that were accepted for poster presentation at the international Digestive Disease Week meeting in Washington DC June 2-5. Congratulations David!
- Sureni Sumathipala poster "From genetic modification to seizure-like hyperactivity: insights from syngap1 zebrafish models of ASD." is selected for a presentation at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting from May 9-12, 2018. Congratulations Sureni!
- Emily Storrs graduates from UM! Congratulations Emily!
- Undergraduate students Celine Rey (Bridge to the Baccalaureate) and Ivan Varela join the lab. Welcome Ivan and Celine!
- UM science and communications undergraduates collaborate with UM alumnus Charlotte Cushing and WPBT2 to profile members of the South Florida community impacted by autism. The videos represent the final project of a course team-taught by Jim Virga (Communications) and Julia Dallman (Biology) called Science Documentary-Autism.
- Jean Lewis and Julia Dallman are awarded a one year grant from the Citizen's Board to launch uFISH. uFISH is a civic engagement program that will work in collaboration with Science Made sensible. University of Miami undergraduates will work in under-resourced, public Miami Dade K-12 schools to help enhance science education. The templates for classroom exercises were developed by BioEYES (http://www.BioEYES.org) in 2002 and have been successfully implemented in cities with large public school systems, including Baltimore and Philadelphia, reaching 1,300 school teachers and 100,000 K-12 students. For the uFISH program, Julia Dallman will work with graduate students to interface with Science Made Sensible (http://ugr.miami.edu/programs/community-outreach-programs/science-made-sensible/index.html), a program managed by my colleague Dr. Michael Gaines. This innovative program has already established relationships with fourteen high- and middle school science teachers at under-resourced, public schools in Miami Dade. Through Science Made Sensible, undergraduates and teachers would train with graduate students to implement uFISH classroom exercises. uFISH exercises will be customized by undergraduates, graduate student and teacher partnerships for different age groups and classroom settings. The ultimate goal is to foster enthusiasm for science at all levels while creating a lasting university-community partnership.
- Julia is awarded a SEEDS You Choose Award to host a career workshop "Finding your niche in science and society". Thank you to Audra van Wart, Gennaro D'Urso, Daofen Chen, and April Mann and all attendees for contributing to a lively event.
- Julia works with Suhrud Rajguru and Monica Perez to help organize the second annual Neural Engineering Symposium. http://www.coe.miami.edu/events/2018-neural-engineering-research-symposium/
- Qing's paper Spatial patterning of excitatory and inhibitory neuropil territories during spinal circuit development is published in Journal of Comparative Neurology http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cne.24152/abstract;jsessionid=F85D0F01861B583083E564333A2540F9.f02t01.
- Qing moves on to post doc with Henry Yin at Duke University where she is working on basal ganglia circuits in mice https://www.neuro.duke.edu/research/faculty-labs/yin-lab. Congratulations Qing!
- Rob welcomes his baby girl Nora Taylor Kozol, born January 17th 2017. Congratulations Rob and Kaitlyn!
- Julia chairs a neurodevelopment session at the Southeast Developmental Biology Meeting at Kennesaw State University in May 18-20th. http://www.sdbonline.org/meeting?ResourceID=2807.
- Will Scudder joins the lab for Summer REU program with chemistry and works on a collaborative project between Dr. Raymo and Dr. Dallman. His hard work will end up contributing to two publications.
- Emma Back welcomes her baby boy James Richard Price, born August 6, 2017. Congratulations Emma and Dan!
- Alex Abrams moves on to a post doc with Marc Hammerlund at Yale University where he is studying neurodegeneration in the worm C. elegans http://www.elegans.yale.edu/lab/Marc_Hammarlund. Congratulations Alex!
- David James receives a McKnight Dissertation Fellowship for his work investigating the biological basis of GI dysfunction in a zebrafish model of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Congratulations David!
- Julia and Mason Klein http://www.as.miami.edu/physics/people/faculty/mason-klein/ will co-mentor Nikolas Polizos, who was awarded the Biology Department Rotation Fellowship. Welcome to Miami Nick and congratulations!