My research broadly focuses on the synaptic mechanisms of sensory, motor, and cognitive operations of the neocortex and thalamus. In my research, I use a multilevel approach, spanning from the study of synaptic physiology of cortical and thalamic circuits in isolated, ex vivo preparations to monitoring and manipulating neuronal population activity in animals performing decision-making tasks. Overall, my work is guided by the desire to understand how both local and long-range circuits in the cortex and thalamus dynamically orchestrate neuronal information processing according to behavioral context. I am also interested in understanding how these mechanisms are altered in neurological and psychiatric diseases associated with disrupted synaptic signaling.