Tom Hnasko, PhD, is professor of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). His lab uses mouse genetics and molecular and physiological tools to study the neural circuits that guide actions that are initiated by an individual (also known as volitional behavior). A major focus is the study of diverse cell types and circuits in the region of the brain that houses dopamine neurons, including the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area, with a special focus on neurotransmitter co-release, and on how changes in these circuits contribute to neuropsychiatric diseases including addiction and Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Hnasko earned a BS in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1999) and a PhD in neurobiology and behavior from the University of Washington (2006). He was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco before joining the faculty at UCSD in 2012.