Dr. Laura Seeholzer did her PhD at Rockefeller University with Dr. Vanessa Ruta and post-doctoral studies at UCSF with Dr. David Julius.

Dr. Seeholzer's laboratory studies how we detect, perceive, and respond to sensations from within our own bodies. The lab focuses on understanding how the airways sense potentially harmful substances and trigger protective reflexes like coughing and sneezing. Using techniques ranging from molecular and biophysical studies of single cells to behavioral studies, they investigate how specialized epithelial cells lining the airways detect different types of stimuli and communicate this information to the nervous system. By studying epithelial cells from animal models and humans, the lab aims to understand how their dysfunction contributes to conditions like chronic cough and aspiration. They also examine how the brain processes these internal signals to create the conscious "urge" to cough or sneeze, and how we learn to suppress these reflexes in appropriate social contexts. This research advances our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms linking bodily sensations to conscious awareness, behavioral control, and disease.