People

Barry Trimmer

Neuromechanics and Biomimetic Devices Lab
Tufts University
200 Boston Ave., Suite 2600
Medford, MA 02155

Office: 617-627-3924

Faculty Profile Email Dr. Trimmer

Bio
I grew up in Weare, NH and received my BA in Neuroscience from Wheaton College in Norton, MA. I’m interested in neuroethology and interspecies relationships. I started working in the Trimmer Lab right after graduating and hope to pursue a graduate degree.

Research
The Transgenic Manduca project is the main focus of my work in the lab. I have been working with Dr. Trimmer to develop a line of Manduca sexta that are able to express optogenetic actuators. If successful, these animals would become new models for use in optogenetic research, bridging the gap of knowledge between Drosophila and rat studies.

Email

Bio
I am originally from Kerala in India, and I received my B.S and M.S in Biology from Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India. My dissertation project on antennal mechanosensors in hawkmoth got me interested in the neuroethology of insects.

Research
In the Trimmer lab, I study the neural circuit underlying nociception in tobacco hornworms. Nociception is the first step of conserved pain perception pathways across the animal kingdom and Manduca offers a tractable and ethical model system for studying pain processing and its alleviation in animals. I am specifically interested in how different muscles are recruited during nocifensive behaviors and how the nociceptive signals are processed in the central nervous system.

Email

Bio
I grew up in Woodbury, Connecticut and completed my undergraduate studies at Western New England University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Following graduation, I began pursuing a PhD in Biology at Tufts University with the Trimmer Lab, where my research interests include muscle development, soft robotics, and cellular agriculture.

Research
I study the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle growth, specification, and regeneration in insects during the process metamorphosis. Using Manduca sexta abdominal muscles as a model, my research aims to understand these biological processes and apply that knowledge to the development of cell culture techniques. Specifically, I am interested in the potential for these improved techniques to enhance muscle growth and regeneration in insect models for use in soft robotics actuation and cellular agriculture.

Email

Bio
I am originally from Montague, MA and graduated from Kenyon College in 2018 with a B.A. in Neuroscience. After graduation, I spent two years working as a technical research assistant in the Butovsky Lab at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. During this time, I realized my desire to research sustainable solutions using biology and became interested in studying cellular agriculture (growing meat from cells instead of animals). I am currently a Ph.D. candidate and New Harvest Research Fellow in the Biomedical Engineering Department in David Kaplan’s lab and collaborate on many projects with the Trimmer Lab.

Research
My research primarily focuses on culturing insect muscle and fat cells to create novel food products. In the past I have worked with cells isolated from Manduca sexta embryos and studied their ability to accumulate lipids as a cultured fat source. Now, I am working on isolating cells from various tissues and developmental time points and studying their food-relevant functional properties and nutritional composition.

Bio
I am a very non-traditional graduate student, choosing to pursue my PhD after earning my BA at the University of Arizona (BA in Psychology–Non-Human Primatology with a Chemistry/Math minor) and then raising and homeschooling two amazing humans. Between graduation and having a family, I spent several years working in reproductive endocrinology labs at the University of Arizona Medical Center and Loma Linda University. My love of bench science and working with animals led me to pursue my graduate career as I re-entered the workforce post-kids.

Research
I have long been interested in finding physiological ways of quantifying behavior and finding less invasive methods to sample those markers. Endocrinology represents the ultimate physiological system of communication via plasma samples, various hormones, including neurotransmitters, that can be quantified and compared to observed behavior to establish correlations. Currently, I am examining how a bait-delivered, chemical contraceptive that has been shown to effectively reduce feral urban pigeon populations impacts stress-mediating behavior and hormone levels in pigeons. This foundational work will have implications for understanding avian behavior in light of their rapidly changing habitat. My time with the Trimmer lab is providing me additional perspectives and new frameworks for designing and assessing my experiments.