Our laboratory uses genetics and molecular biology to study pattern formation in the zebrafish embryo. The rapid development and simple anatomy of this teleost embryo, together with recently developed techniques for reverse genetics and a complete genome sequence, make zebrafish a powerful molecular genetic system for studying the mechanisms of development. We are interested in how gene functions translate into cell behaviors and the formation of tissues and organs. We focus on two main areas relevant to the nervous system: 1) cell interactions and formation of segments along the anterior-posterior axis of the hindbrain in the central nervous system, 2) migration of neural crest cells and how they form the neurons and glia of the peripheral nervous system. We combine experimental and computational/systems biology approaches to these two aspects of neural development. Our most recent studies use genome-wide gene expression profiling, such as single cell RNA-sequencing, to address how cells in the hindbrain and PNS obtain their fates.