Jaewon Ko currently directs the Center for Synapse Diversity and Specificity (CSDS) at DGIST. He is interested in understanding the synaptic mechanisms underlying how neural circuits are wired, shaped, and modulated during development and in adulthood. His work focuses on (1) the roles of synaptic cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs) in shaping specific synapse properties in a defined neural circuit, (2) pre- and postsynaptic signaling mechanisms responsible for CAM-mediated synapse diversity and specificity, and (3) pathophysiological mechanisms of neurological disorders encompassing impaired neural circuit properties.

The CSDS aims address these fundamental neuroscientific questions by employing multiple, interdisciplinary approaches ranging from biochemical and biophysical studies to physiological and behavioral analyses of mutant mice deficient in key synaptic adhesion molecules and their associated proteins.