Mark Dombrovski, Ph.D.
Other awards
Funding
A Personal Note
Background
Education
I grew up in southern Russia in the 1990s, where my interest in biology formed quietly and early. My parents encouraged curiosity in everyday life and filled our home with books about animals, nature, and the living world – and those were the only things I wanted to read as a child. That constant exposure made biology feel both familiar and full of mystery. By the time I reached Moscow State University as an undergraduate student, I knew I wanted to understand how living systems work at all levels of organization. Over time, the brain became the question that fascinated me the most – a place where even the simplest principles were still unknown.
For my PhD at the University of Virginia, I joined Barry Condron’s lab, an environment that shaped the way I think about science. Barry emphasized the supremacy of asking critical questions over collecting data for its own sake, or relying on complex modern techniques simply because they are available.
He taught me that when a problem cannot be solved directly, the right response is not to force it, but to step back and look for the orthogonal question that will lead you there more effectively. In his lab, I studied developmental plasticity in fly neural circuits, combining behavior, anatomy, and genetics to understand how experience shapes circuit maturation. This was also where I first discovered how powerful and elegant the fruit fly can be as a model system. Those years gave me my first independent ideas about sensory processing and showed me how satisfying it is when a simple, well-chosen experiment finally reveals the core of a long-standing question.
After my PhD, I wanted to understand wiring at its most fundamental level – the molecular cues that tell neurons how to find the right partners. That curiosity brought me to Larry Zipursky’s lab at UCLA, where I began to think about synaptic specificity as a problem built from recognition molecules and the developmental programs that control them. Working with Larry, and collaborating closely with Gwyneth Card at Janelia, introduced me to a very integrative way of doing science: using genetics, anatomy, imaging, behavior, and connectomics together to approach the same problem from different directions. Seeing how these methods complement one another, and how much we still don’t understand, shaped the direction I want to take moving forward. In my own lab, I plan to build on this multimodal approach to study the molecular logic of brain wiring and the rules that allow neurons to assemble precise circuits.
For my PhD at the University of Virginia, I joined Barry Condron’s lab, an environment that shaped the way I think about science. Barry emphasized the supremacy of asking critical questions over collecting data for its own sake, or relying on complex modern techniques simply because they are available.
He taught me that when a problem cannot be solved directly, the right response is not to force it, but to step back and look for the orthogonal question that will lead you there more effectively. In his lab, I studied developmental plasticity in fly neural circuits, combining behavior, anatomy, and genetics to understand how experience shapes circuit maturation. This was also where I first discovered how powerful and elegant the fruit fly can be as a model system. Those years gave me my first independent ideas about sensory processing and showed me how satisfying it is when a simple, well-chosen experiment finally reveals the core of a long-standing question.
After my PhD, I wanted to understand wiring at its most fundamental level – the molecular cues that tell neurons how to find the right partners. That curiosity brought me to Larry Zipursky’s lab at UCLA, where I began to think about synaptic specificity as a problem built from recognition molecules and the developmental programs that control them. Working with Larry, and collaborating closely with Gwyneth Card at Janelia, introduced me to a very integrative way of doing science: using genetics, anatomy, imaging, behavior, and connectomics together to approach the same problem from different directions. Seeing how these methods complement one another, and how much we still don’t understand, shaped the direction I want to take moving forward. In my own lab, I plan to build on this multimodal approach to study the molecular logic of brain wiring and the rules that allow neurons to assemble precise circuits.
Ph.D. In Biology (2019)
Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville VA
M.S. in Biochemistry (2012)
Department of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
B.S. in Biochemistry (2009)
Department of Biology, South Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville VA
M.S. in Biochemistry (2012)
Department of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
B.S. in Biochemistry (2009)
Department of Biology, South Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Suzanne Eaton Memorial Prize for research excellence, UCLA Graduate Programs in Bioscience (2025)
The Schweizer Professional Development Award,
UCLA Brain Research Institute (2023)
Andrew Fleming Prize for Outstanding PhD Dissertation in Biology, UVA (2019)
James Dent Outstanding Publication Award, Department of Biology, UVA (2019)
Junior Fellowship in Biology, The Society of Fellows, UVA (2015)
Summer Undergraduate Fellowship, Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Grad School of Biomedical Sciences (2011)
The Schweizer Professional Development Award,
UCLA Brain Research Institute (2023)
Andrew Fleming Prize for Outstanding PhD Dissertation in Biology, UVA (2019)
James Dent Outstanding Publication Award, Department of Biology, UVA (2019)
Junior Fellowship in Biology, The Society of Fellows, UVA (2015)
Summer Undergraduate Fellowship, Gerstner Sloan-Kettering Grad School of Biomedical Sciences (2011)
K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award,
NIH-National Eye Institute (2024-2029)
HHMI-Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021-2024)
Jefferson Fellowship, Jefferson Scholars Foundation, University of Virginia (2014-2019)
NIH-National Eye Institute (2024-2029)
HHMI-Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021-2024)
Jefferson Fellowship, Jefferson Scholars Foundation, University of Virginia (2014-2019)
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
University of Colorado Boulder
1945 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO, 80309
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Dept. of Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology
University of Colorado Boulder
1945 Colorado Ave, Boulder, CO, 80309
Google Scholar
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I was born, raised and educated in Russia, and my scientific path began in a country that has produced extraordinary minds but has also struggled under political systems that often suppress the very basic human freedoms. Over the past fifteen years, I have watched with growing sorrow as space for open inquiry, independent thought, and honest discussion has narrowed dramatically.
I also want to state clearly my position on the ongoing war. I condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the immense suffering it has caused. The war is a crime, and millions of innocent Ukrainian people have paid the price. I support Ukraine’s right to sovereignty and safety, and I stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian scientific community and everyone affected by this violence.
I also stand with those in Russia who have opposed Putin’s regime, often at great personal cost. Countless people: activists, journalists, scientists, and ordinary citizens – have been intimidated, silenced, imprisoned, even murdered, or forced to leave the country. My photo with Alexei Navalny, taken back in 2019, reflects my support for those who have spoken out against crime, corruption and repression, and my belief that every society depends on people willing to defend human dignity and democratic freedoms.
As a scientist and now as a PI, I believe that science must be grounded in values: truth, openness, compassion, and respect for human life. These principles guide how I approach my work and how I build my lab. Regardless of nationality, background, or personal history, every trainee deserves a space where they can think freely, ask ambitious questions, and grow without fear.
This is the environment I commit to creating.
I also want to state clearly my position on the ongoing war. I condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the immense suffering it has caused. The war is a crime, and millions of innocent Ukrainian people have paid the price. I support Ukraine’s right to sovereignty and safety, and I stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian scientific community and everyone affected by this violence.
I also stand with those in Russia who have opposed Putin’s regime, often at great personal cost. Countless people: activists, journalists, scientists, and ordinary citizens – have been intimidated, silenced, imprisoned, even murdered, or forced to leave the country. My photo with Alexei Navalny, taken back in 2019, reflects my support for those who have spoken out against crime, corruption and repression, and my belief that every society depends on people willing to defend human dignity and democratic freedoms.
As a scientist and now as a PI, I believe that science must be grounded in values: truth, openness, compassion, and respect for human life. These principles guide how I approach my work and how I build my lab. Regardless of nationality, background, or personal history, every trainee deserves a space where they can think freely, ask ambitious questions, and grow without fear.
This is the environment I commit to creating.
