About me: Kye received his Bachelor of Biomedicine (Degree with Honours) from the University of Melbourne. He undertook his Honours year in the Neuron Development and Plasticity Laboratory under the supervision of Kathryn Munro and Jenny Gunnersen. During his Honours, he investigated the roles of Seizure Related Protein 6 on dendritic spine morphology while developing a strong passion for molecular neuroscience and computational analyses. When away from the microscopy, Kye enjoys skateboarding.
PhD Project: The presynaptic terminal exhibits an intriguing ultrastructure in which synaptic vesicles and cytoplasmic proteins are clustered in apposition to the electron-dense presynaptic active zone. The high concentration of synaptic vesicles at these exocytic sites is essential for sustaining precise synaptic communication during demanding bouts of high frequency stimulation. Intriguingly, this clustering is apparent despite an entropic force driving synaptic vesicles and cytoplasmic proteins to distribute homogenously throughout the entirety of the axon. Kye is investigating the mechanism by which synaptic vesicles and proteins cluster at the presynaptic terminal.