Avital Rodal

Avital Rodal is a Professor of Biology at Brandeis University whose laboratory investigates how membrane trafficking and the actin cytoskeleton coordinate to shape neuronal development and function. Using Drosophila and cell-based systems, her group studies endocytic pathways, actin regulators, and the molecular machinery that controls synaptic growth and signaling. Rodal has published influential work on presynaptic endosome organization and actin-mediated trafficking mechanisms, advancing understanding of neuronal morphogenesis and neurodegenerative disease pathways. She serves on the Brandeis MRSEC Executive Committee and leads an interdisciplinary research program that combines genetics, imaging, and biochemistry to uncover fundamental principles of cellular architecture in neurons.