Rate My Professor Anupama Dahanukar

Anupama Dahanukar is a Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology at the University of California, Riverside. She joined the UC Riverside faculty in 2009 as an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology before transitioning to her current department, where she advanced to full professor. Dahanukar earned her Ph.D. in Genetics from Duke University, conducting research on the translation regulation of maternal nanos mRNA in Drosophila embryos under the mentorship of Dr. Robin Wharton. She completed postdoctoral training with Dr. John Carlson at Yale University, continuing her studies on Drosophila.

Her research centers on the molecular and neuronal mechanisms underlying chemosensory behaviors in flies and mosquitoes. The Dahanukar Lab examines receptors and gustatory cells in the insect taste system that detect chemical cues from host plants and animals. Investigations range from molecular genetics to neural circuits that process taste information and elicit behavioral responses. Techniques employed include high-throughput genomics, electrophysiology, calcium imaging, behavioral assays, and evolutionary comparative analyses. Notable contributions include elucidating opponent coding in salt taste neurons, pharyngeal taste control of feeding, fatty acid taste evolution in drosophilids, and neural regulation of regurgitation. Key publications encompass 'Secondary Taste Neurons that Convey Sweet Taste and Drive Feeding' (Neuron, 2015), 'Acid Sensing by Sweet and Bitter Taste Neurons in Drosophila melanogaster' (Nature Communications, 2013), 'Control of Sugar and Amino Acid Feeding via Pharyngeal Taste Neurons in Drosophila' (Journal of Neuroscience, 2021), 'Ir56d-Dependent Fatty Acid Responses in Drosophila melanogaster' (eLife, 2021), and 'Evolution of Fatty Acid Taste in Drosophilids' (Cell Reports, 2023). She serves as cooperating faculty in Entomology and participates in interdepartmental Neuroscience and Bioengineering programs. Her findings on insect taste perception and behavior have been highlighted in multiple UC Riverside news releases.