Dr. White received his Ph.D. in the Neural Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis and conducted postdoctoral research at Yale, where he began to develop genetic tools for neuronal manipulation. Since joining NIMH in 2002, he has continued to develop methods for the targeted manipulation of neurons for the purpose of mapping neuronal circuits in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The circuit of primary interest to Dr. White’s laboratory—the Section on Neural Function—governs the motor sequences executed by fruit flies during molting. Molting relies critically on the action of hormones and neuromodulators, and a primary aim of Dr. White’s research is to understand how these intrinsic signals act on neural networks and integrate with information from the environment to orchestrate ordered motor sequences. Planning and executing such sequences is a fundamental aspect of all behavior, including in humans, where deficits in initiating, terminating, and organizing actions characterizes many mental disorders. Dr. White is a long-standing member of the Society for Neuroscience and of the Genetics Society of America. Since 2014, he has also served on the Scientific Advisory Board at the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (BDSC).