Rate My Professor Shan Meltzer

Meltzer's research elucidates the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying somatosensory circuit assembly during development, with a focus on the senses of touch, pain, temperature, and itch. Employing mouse genetics, sequencing, anatomy, physiology, and behavioral assays, her work seeks to uncover principles applicable to treating nerve injuries, chronic pain, and somatosensory disorders. Notable publications include "Spatial transcriptomics reveals organizational properties of mouse spinal cord and alterations in neuropathic pain" (Wang et al., 2026, bioRxiv), "C-LTMRs evoke wet dog shakes via the spinoparabrachial pathway" (Zhang et al., 2024, Science), "γ-Protocadherins Control Synapse Formation and Peripheral Branching of Touch Sensory Neurons" (Meltzer et al., 2023, Neuron), "A role for axon–glial interactions and Netrin-G1 signaling in the formation of low-threshold mechanoreceptor end organs" (Meltzer et al., 2022, PNAS), and "The Cellular and Molecular Basis of Somatosensory Neuron Development" (Meltzer et al., 2021, Neuron). Her achievements have been honored with the 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Award, the 2025 C.J. Herrick Award in Neuroanatomy from the American Association for Anatomy, and the HHMI Hanna H. Gray Fellowship, among others, highlighting her impact on neuroscience.