Bobbie Brown

Bobbie Brown is a graduate student in the DBBS program, training under Dr. Rob Gereau and Dr. Bryan Copits. Bobbie moved from her hometown Little Rock, Arkansas, to St. Louis to begin her undergraduate studies at WashU in 2013. Throughout undergrad, she researched voltage-gated potassium channels with Dr. Larry Salkoff and Dr. Celia Santi. In 2017, she earned her bachelor’s degree in physics.

For her graduate research, Bobbie is working on optogenetic tool development. Optogenetics involves the use of light-sensitive proteins (opsins) that allow for light-mediated modulation of cellular processes; her research is focused on using opsins to regulate neuronal activity. Along with research, she has helped teach undergraduate classes including “Molecular Biology of Genetic Disorders,” “Neurophysiology Lab,” and “Biophysics of Consciousness.” Bobbie is also involved with leadership in the department’s ASSURE summer research program. 

Outside of the lab, Bobbie enjoys listening to music, playing instruments, exploring outdoors, watching scary movies, teaching (or attempting to teach) her cat Momo to walk on a leash, watching basketball, facilitating local queer-Christian community, discovering new personal allergies, and architectural photography.