My research focuses on understanding how sensory cues, developmental programs, and microbiome signals converge to shape neural circuits and sustain persistent behavioral states in Caenorhabditis elegans. We use mate recognition as a model to dissect the transformation of transient sensory events into long-lasting motivational states. Our studies revealed that mate recognition is mediated through a two-step process, in which cuticular surface molecules initiate male contact responses, while body stiffness provides a mechanical signal that validates mate suitability. We further demonstrated that brief mate contact or optogenetic activation of male-specific sensory neurons induces a persistent local search state, maintained by glutamatergic signaling and reinforced by neuropeptidergic feedback. This work establishes a tractable framework for probing how neural circuits compute and sustain internal states, a principle with broad relevance to decision-making, memory, and motivation.

In parallel, we investigate how sexually dimorphic circuits are patterned and linked to reproductive behaviors. We uncovered that insulin signaling and vulval epithelial cues independently regulate the branching of PVP interneurons, directly coupling structural plasticity to egg-laying behavior in hermaphrodites. Extending beyond neural development, we also study how the gut microbiome modulates sexual motivation, showing that bacterial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids reprogram host neuromodulatory pathways to alter social and reproductive behaviors. Together, these lines of research integrate molecular genetics, advanced imaging, biomechanics, optogenetics, and multi-omics to reveal how developmental, microbial, and environmental inputs are transformed into persistent changes in circuit architecture and behavior. Our long-term goal is to establish generalizable principles of how the nervous system integrates external and internal signals to regulate motivational states across species.