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Welcome to our lab website! We are a newly established laboratory of neuroscience and chronobiology located at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of Rutgers University, lead by Dr. Ruifeng Ray Cao. We are interested in the molecular mechanisms of the brain’s biological clocks and how clock dysfunction is involved in pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders including autism and depression. Trainees in our clock lab at Rutgers work with genetically modified mouse models and utilize a combination of molecular, cellular, and behavioral approaches. The lab has an excellent track record of training the next generation of scientists. Former trainees in the lab successfully published in prestigious journals such as PNAS, Neuron, and Molecular Psychiatry.

Rutgers University is among the top 15 public universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report 2024. The campus is located at the center of the Northeast corridor, with access to New York City, Philadelphia, and the New Jersey shore within an hour’s drive. The region is home to world-class universities, numerous pharmaceutical and biotech research facilities, and corporate headquarters. Piscataway and the surrounding areas in Central New Jersey offer vibrant and diverse cultural activities, excellent public and private schools, and opportunities to live in urban, suburban, or small-town settings within a short distance of campus. We constantly look for talented and motivated undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers to join us.