Since 2019, I’ve been working as an assistant professor in Department of Neurology and Institute for Cell Engineering in Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. My laboratory employs advanced technologies in high throughput screening, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing both in cultures and in mouse, a-synucleinopathy mouse models including the injection of intrastriatal and gut-to-brain a-syn preformed fibrils (PFFs), and human stem cell biology important in studying Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia with Lewy Body and other neurologic disorders. We also use advanced imaging approaches including stereology, electron microscopy, confocal microscopy and super resolution microscopy in our analysis. Since reactive astrocytes and PARP-1 are recently known to being involved in brain aging, my laboratory has been focusing on neuronal and non-neuronal mechanisms of brain aging and aging-related brain diseases. We are trying to understand the molecular mechanisms of non-canonical PARP-1 activation when neurons are dying as well as to identify the role of microglia-astrocyte axis in brain aging. The overarching goal of the research is to understand death and survival mechanisms in order to identify novel targets that are essential for pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and developing disease-modifying therapies.