Our main focus of interest in the functional and anatomic characterization of the neural circuits that underlie stimulus-driven innate behaviors. Given that olfaction is the primary sense used by most animals to communicate with their environment, we focus on characterizing those circuits that enable animals to detect and innately respond to scents from food, predators and mates.. To structurally and functionally dissect olfactory circuits we deploy an interdisciplinary toolkit that includes both well-established techniques - such as mouse genetics and behavioral analysis - and emerging approaches - such as two-photon laser scanning microscopy and optogenetics. We also actively develop new molecular and imaging tools for neural tracing and circuit analysis.