Dr. Tornini’s current research uses genetics/genomics, genome engineering, behavioral and pharmacological assays, and zebrafish as animal models, to investigate the roles of chromatin modifiers and remodelers in establishing and maintaining cell identities, and how these are dysregulated in neurodevelopmental disorders. Previously, Dr. Tornini’s doctoral work, supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, used adult zebrafish tissues and organs, primarily the fin, as genetic models for tissue regeneration to understand how cells in a complex adult tissue coordinately regenerate a patterned structure after injury. As a developmental biologist interested in understanding cell specification mechanisms in development and regeneration, Dr. Tornini will be on the academic tenure-track job market in the next couple of years.