Julien Courchet is a research director at Inserm and independent group leader since 2016 at the Institut NeuroMyoGène from the University of Lyon. His long term interest is the regulation of mitochondria trafficking, physiology and metabolic activity and how this controls the development and function of cortical circuits, in physiological and pathological conditions. Current research in the Courchet lab focus on the polarity kinase LKB1 and the effectors AMPK and the autism-linked kinase NUAK1 in axon development and maintenance, as well as in mouse phenotyping and behavior. We furthermore develop strategies to modulate neuronal metabolism and test their relevance in mouse models of autism.