Heather Snell, PhD. is an Associate Researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. Kamran Khodakhah. Her work uses electrophysiology, behavior, molecular biology, optogenetics and photometry in mouse models to understand the receptors and channels underlying the intrinsic activity of the GABAergic cerebellar Purkinje cells and how dysfunction in these cells and the cerebellar circuitry contribute to motor and cognitive disorders. She holds a PhD in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Pharmacology and Neuroscience from University of North Texas Health Science Center and dual bachelor's degrees from Louisiana State University in biochemistry and English literature. Her graduate work combined cellular biology with pharmacology, receptor modeling, and whole cell electrophysiology to investigate the interactions of the GABAA ρ1 receptor with a class of drugs called guanidine compounds which block acid sensing ion channels (ASICS).