Our Research
Our lab studies sensory biology, including mechanosensation, thermosensation, chemosensation, photosensation and nociception. We focus on:
- Sensory transduction: Identifying novel sensory receptors and channels that sense temperature, touch, chemicals and light, and investigating how they regulate sensory signaling and behavior
- Sensory processing: Identifying neural circuits and synaptic mechanisms underlying sensory behavior and drug dependence
- Sensory regulation of aging and longevity

Shawn Xu, Ph.D.
Bernard W. Agranoff Collegiate Professor in the Life Sciences
Research Professor, U-M Life Sciences institute
Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, U-M Medical School