Stephen F. Goodwin
BSc, MA, PhD
Professor of Neurogenetics
- Deputy Director of Graduate Studies
Genetic Dissection of Sexual Behaviour
Stephen studied genetics as an undergraduate at the University of Glasgow, and researched Drosophila learning and memory for his Ph.D. After a postdoctoral stint with Nobel laureate Jeffrey C. Hall at Brandeis University (USA), where he used molecular-genetic and behavioural approaches in the fruit fly to understand how the sexual identity of a nervous system and its behaviours are specified, he returned to the UK and spent 10 years leading a research group at the University of Glasgow. He arrived in Oxford in 2009, where he is a Professor of Neurogenetics, a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator, and a Tutorial Fellow in Genetics at Magdalen College. He is part of the Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour along with the groups of Gero Miesenböck and Scott Waddell.
Stephen’s group uses the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to study the genetic, developmental, and neural mechanisms that underlie sex-specific behaviours in higher animals. In particular, the elaborate courtship ritual performed by the male fly has provided remarkable insights into how the neural circuitry underlying sexual behaviour, which is largely innate in flies, is built into the nervous system during development, and how this circuitry functions in the adult. The fly has the advantages of advanced molecular genetics approaches along with well-defined anatomy, physiology, and behaviour.
Key publications
-
Dedicated developmental programing for group-supporting behaviors in eusocial honeybees.
Journal article
Sommer V. et al, (2024), Sci Adv, 10
-
Low-level repressive histone marks fine-tune gene transcription in neural stem cells.
Journal article
Rajan A. et al, (2023), Elife, 12
-
Fly Cell Atlas: A single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of the adult fruit fly.
Journal article
Li H. et al, (2022), Science, 375
-
Molecular Mechanisms of Sexually Dimorphic Nervous System Patterning in Flies and Worms.
Journal article
Goodwin SF. and Hobert O., (2021), Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol, 37, 519 - 547
-
A sex-specific switch between visual and olfactory inputs underlies adaptive sex differences in behavior.
Journal article
Nojima T. et al, (2021), Curr Biol
-
A circuit logic for sexually shared and dimorphic aggressive behaviors in Drosophila
Journal article
Chiu H. et al, (2021), Cell
-
Distinct Roles and Synergistic Function of FruM Isoforms in Drosophila Olfactory Receptor Neurons.
Journal article
Zhang Y. et al, (2020), Cell Rep, 33
-
Ovipositor extrusion promotes the transition from courtship to copulation and signals female acceptance in Drosophila melanogaster
Journal article
Mezzera C. et al, (2020), Current Biology
-
A single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the adult Drosophila ventral nerve cord.
Journal article
Allen AM. et al, (2020), Elife, 9
-
Neural circuitry coordinating male copulation.
Journal article
Pavlou HJ. et al, (2016), Elife, 5
-
Activation of Latent Courtship Circuitry in the Brain of Drosophila Females Induces Male-like Behaviors.
Journal article
Rezával C. et al, (2016), Curr Biol, 26, 2508 - 2515
-
Sex- and tissue-specific functions of Drosophila doublesex transcription factor target genes.
Journal article
Clough E. et al, (2014), Dev Cell, 31, 761 - 773
-
Male-specific fruitless isoforms target neurodevelopmental genes to specify a sexually dimorphic nervous system.
Journal article
Neville MC. et al, (2014), Curr Biol, 24, 229 - 241
-
Sexually dimorphic octopaminergic neurons modulate female postmating behaviors in Drosophila.
Journal article
Rezával C. et al, (2014), Curr Biol, 24, 725 - 730
-
Control of sexual differentiation and behavior by the doublesex gene in Drosophila melanogaster.
Journal article
Rideout EJ. et al, (2010), Nat Neurosci, 13, 458 - 466
Recent publications
-
Dedicated developmental programing for group-supporting behaviors in eusocial honeybees.
Journal article
Sommer V. et al, (2024), Sci Adv, 10
-
Erratum: Ovipositor Extrusion Promotes the Transition from Courtship to Copulation and Signals Female Acceptance in Drosophila melanogaster (Current biology : CB (2020) 30 19 (3736-3748.e5) PII: S0960-9822(23)01447-1)
Journal article
Mezzera C. et al, (2023), Current biology : CB, 33
-
Low-level repressive histone marks fine-tune gene transcription in neural stem cells.
Journal article
Rajan A. et al, (2023), Elife, 12
-
Fly Cell Atlas: A single-nucleus transcriptomic atlas of the adult fruit fly.
Journal article
Li H. et al, (2022), Science, 375
-
Molecular Mechanisms of Sexually Dimorphic Nervous System Patterning in Flies and Worms.
Journal article
Goodwin SF. and Hobert O., (2021), Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol, 37, 519 - 547
-
Generation and characterization of fruitless P1 promoter mutant in Drosophila melanogaster
Journal article
GOODWIN M. et al, (2021), Journal of Neurogenetics