Rate My Professor Rose Smither

Roseanna Smither serves as Confocal Microscopy Technician at Otago Micro and Nanoscale Imaging (OMNI), a specialized facility within the Division of Health Sciences at the University of Otago, Dunedin. With a Bachelor of Science, she delivers essential technical expertise in confocal microscopy, live confocal imaging, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, histological staining, tissue processing, fixation, and cryostat sectioning. Her role supports diverse research initiatives across departments including Physiology, Medicine, Microbiology, and Anatomy, enabling high-resolution imaging for cellular and subcellular analysis. Smither is also listed as Assistant Research Fellow in the Respiratory section of the Department of Medicine, Dunedin. As an early career researcher based at Otago, she attended an international course on Super Resolution Microscopy in Edinburgh, enhancing her capabilities in advanced imaging techniques.

Smither has contributed as co-author to several peer-reviewed publications in leading journals, reflecting her involvement in neuroscience and physiological research. Key works include 'Reduced reach-related modulation of motor thalamus neural activity in a rat model of Parkinson's disease' (Journal of Neuroscience, 2014, cited by 53), 'Patterned, but not tonic, optogenetic stimulation in motor thalamus improves reaching in acute drug-induced Parkinsonian rats' (Journal of Neuroscience, 2015, cited by 48), 'Altered recruitment of motor cortex neuronal activity during the grasping phase of skilled reaching in a chronic rat model of unilateral parkinsonism' (Journal of Neuroscience, 2019, cited by 34), 'A schizophrenia risk factor induces marked anatomical deficits at GABAergic-dopaminergic synapses in the rat ventral tegmental area' (Journal of Comparative Neurology, 2021, cited by 3), and 'Depressed HCN4 function in the type 2 diabetic sinoatrial node' (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 2023, cited by 8). Her technical support is widely acknowledged in PhD theses and research outputs from the University of Otago, where she provides training and troubleshooting for confocal and electron microscopy, significantly impacting studies on neural circuits, Parkinson's models, cardiac physiology, and more. Through OMNI, she facilitates multidisciplinary collaborations, contributing to the university's research excellence in biomedical imaging.