UF Department of Chemistry
Affiliate Professor, Department of Cellular and Systems Pharmacology
Leslie A. Sombers
Affiliate Professor, Department of Cellular and Systems Pharmacology
Research Focus
The Sombers lab focuses on the development, optimization, and application of electroanalytical techniques to study real-time neurochemical changes in preparations that range from single cells to living brain tissue. The molecular monitoring studies advance understanding of circuits involved in motivated behavior, addiction, and Parkinson’s disease, to ultimately inform the development of targeted and effective therapeutic strategies.
Education and Training
2004–2008; Postdoc, Chemistry. Univ. of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (lab of R. Mark Wightman)
1999–2004; Ph.D. Chemistry, Penn State University (lab of Andrew G. Ewing)
1996–1998: M.A. Chemistry, The College of William and Mary
1993–1996: B.S. Chemistry, The College of William and Mary
Selected Awards
NSF CAREER Award (2012)
NIH Early Career Award in the Chemistry of Drug Abuse and Addiction (2009)
Selected Activities
Associate Editor, ACS Chemical Neuroscience
President, The Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry
Selected Publications
Todorov J., McCarty G.S., and Sombers L.A. Mechanistic Insight into Tyrosine Oxidation at Carbon-Fiber Microelectrodes Revealed by Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry. ACS Electrochem, 2025. In press. doi: 10.1021/acselectrochem.5c00072
Berger J.M., Todorov J., Turner K.M., McCarty G.S., Romanova E.V., Sweedler J.V., and Sombers L.A. Unveiling Dopamine and Met-Enkephalin Dynamics: Simultaneous Co-Detection in Rat Striatum. Anal. Chem., 2025, in press, doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5c03599.
McCarty G.S., Meunier C.J., and Sombers L.A. Tracking Carbon Microelectrode Impedance during Fast-Scan Cyclic Voltammetry. ACS Sensors, 2025. 10, 3617–3627. doi: 10.1021/acssensors.5c00401.