My long-standing interest in research is focused on electrophysiology and comparative genomics of several important ion channels in the nervous system including ligand gated cation channels (nAChRs and NMDARs) as well as voltage gated Na+ channels (e.g. Nav1.1 Nav1.2 TRPV1). My technical skills include voltage-clamp and patch-clamp electrophysiology site directed mutagenesis. These can all be deployed to understand the physiological significance and role as therapeutic targets of these important biological switches and their roles in pathology. Human neuronal ion channels are promising targets for drugs being developed for smoking cessation memory enhancement pain relief and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. They are also important as targets for chemicals used in the control of insect vectors of global diseases such as malaria and dengue and nematode parasites of man and farm animals. In addition ion channels play a role as targets for chemicals used to protect agricultural crops from insect and nematode pests.