Dr. Paul Bonthuis
Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor, Comparative Biosciences
Email: bonthuis@illinois.edu
Phone: (217) 244-7197
Personal Statement
My research interest is focused on epigenetic regulation of gene expression patterns in the brain and their effects on social behaviors and psychiatric diseases. Specifically, I have been studying genomic imprinting effects in monoamine neurotransmitter systems of the brain, and their functional impacts on mammalian social behaviors. Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon where some genes preferentially express the allele inherited from either the mother (maternally expressed genes) or the father (paternally expressed genes). Imprinting in the brain is hypothesized to regulate social behavior in offspring, and we aim to identify imprinting effects in the brain in order to identify neural circuits that regulate specific aspects of social behavior. My goal as a principle investigator is to make important discoveries in neuroscience while fostering an environment where trainees at all educational and career stages may achieve their full potential.
Academic Positions
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Lab of Chris Gregg, University of Utah, Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
- Graduate Student, Lab of Emilie Rissman, University of Virginia, Neuroscience Graduate Program
Education
- PhD, Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville
- BS, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle
Courses Taught
- VM 602 Structure and Function I, Lecturer, Veterinary Medicine, UIUC
- CB 591 Seminar Series, Co-director, Comparative Biosciences, UIUC
- CB 514 Neurotoxicology, Guest Lecturer, Comparative Biosciences, UIUC
- Medical Neuroanatomy, Lab Instructor, School of Medicine, University of Utah
- Pre-meeting Workshop: Basics and latest trends in CRISPR mouse genome editing technologies, 14th Transgenic Technology Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT
Current Members
Dr. Daryl Meling
Lab Manager
Email: dmeling@illinois.edu
Phone: (217) 300-9035
Office: VMBSB 3846
Daryl is involved in several Bonthuis Lab projects that focus on genomic imprinting in the mouse brain. His previous research on campus has involved studies of kinases, cytochrome P450 enzymes, obesity, endocrine disrupting chemicals, neuroimmunology, and reproductive biology.
Education
- PhD, Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- BS, Agricultural Biochemistry, Iowa State University
Erin O’Leary
Graduate Student
Email: emo4@illinois.edu
Office: VMBSB 3834
Erin is a graduate student in the Neuroscience Program, and is originally from Chicago. Her research is interested in looking at the effects of noncanonical genomic imprinting of genes in the brain monoamine system. To do this she utilizes a variety of tests to assess social behavior in mutant mice. She also uses sequencing techniques to explore whether there are sex differences in imprinted genes. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and spending time with her cat, Xena, and dog, Copa
Education
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- BA, Neuroscience, The College of Wooster
Rachel Eggleston
Academic Research Technologist
Email: rlegg29@illinois.edu
Office: VMBSB 3834
Rachel is originally from Bloomington-Normal, IL and graduated from Illinois State University in 2020. Her current plans include to one day attend veterinary school and become a Zoological/Aquatic veterinarian. In her free time she enjoys playing with her forever kitties; Oakley, O’Malley, and Cortland. She also enjoys reading and spending time outside.
Education
- BS, General Biology, Illinois State University
Sam Rahman
Undergraduate Student
Email: srahma37@illinois.edu
Lab: VMBSB 3811
Sam uses computer vision and machine learning applications to make tools for generating and analyzing complex social behavior data from videos. His goal is to train existing software and methods to the task of measuring discrete aspects of social behaviors that is accurate, unbiased, and more reproducible than human experimenter observational scoring which is a time-consuming and susceptible to inter-investigator variability.
Education
- Major, Neuroscience and Econometrics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Leah Hinderman
Undergraduate Student
Email: lch3@illinois.edu
Lab: VMBSB 3811
Leah’s research involves performing mouse DNA genotyping/husbandry and using immunohistochemistry to view the expression of monoaminergic neurotransmitters in the brain of mice. After graduation, she will pursue a career in the medical device or pharmaceutical industry as an R&D engineer.
Education
- Major, Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jill Hook
Undergraduate Student
Email: jrhook2@illinois.edu
Lab: VMBSB 3811
Jill’s research is focused on using immunohistochemistry to determine the identify of monoaminergic cell populations in the brains of mice. After graduating with a Bachelors degree from UIUC, she wishes to attend a Genetic Counseling Program where she then will be able to one day become a Genetic Counselor in either a hospital or research lab based setting.
Education
- Major, Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Moudar Dweydari
Undergraduate Student
Email: mdweyd2@illinois.edu
Lab: VMBSB 3811
Mo works on behavioral testing and genotyping. Looking ahead, he hopes to one day help others through a career in cardiology.
Education
- Major, Kinesiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Tony Huang
Undergraduate Student
Email: tonyh@illinois.edu
Lab: VMBSB 3811
Tony’s research interests are directed on the use of immunohistochemistry to learn about the several neurotransmitters involved with several mental disorders like PTSD and schizophrenia. He hopes to pursue a career as a research physician and treat those with mental illnesses in the future.
Education
- Major, Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Luke Tamas
Undergraduate Student
Email: atamas3@illinois.edu
Lab: VMBSB 3811
Luke plans to attend medical school and pursue a career in neurology as either a neurologist or neuropsychologist. His goal is to help others through brain mapping and developing new techniques for understanding the brain.
Education
- Major, Psychology: Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign