Dr. Lomvardas is the Roy and Diana Vagelos Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and a Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Neuroscience at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. By studying olfaction, his research aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that give rise to the wide diversity of cell types in the mammalian nervous system.
About
Under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Axel, co-director of the Zuckerman Institute and Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Lomvardas developed an interest in how gene regulation operates in the olfactory system, wherein each olfactory sensory neuron expresses just one allele from about 1,400 possible olfactory receptor genes in mammals. By studying gene regulation in olfaction, Dr. Lomvardas hopes to better understand other areas of the nervous system. And by uncovering how genes in different systems are organized, his research hopes to shed light on the brain's underlying biomolecular principles—and what happens when those mechanisms go awry.
Prior to joining the Zuckerman Institute, Dr. Lomvardas completed his postdoctoral training at Columbia University with Dr. Axel, studying the genetic underpinnings of olfactory receptor gene choice in the mouse olfactory system. He received his Ph.D in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from Columbia in 2002, where he received his M.A. in Genetics and Development in 1999. A native of Greece, Dr. Lomvardas received his B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Crete in 1998. He is a former Assistant Professor at the University of California, San Francisco,
Dr. Lomvardas is currently a Faculty Scholar with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and has received a variety of honors throughout his career, including the Vilceck Prize for Creative Promise, the McKnight Scholar Award, the EUREKA Award from the National Institutes of Health, and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award.
In his free time, Dr. Lomvardas enjoys swimming, snorkeling, and all things basketball.