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Samara Reck–Peterson studies the molecular motors that transport cargo along cells’ internal highway systems – their microtubule cytoskeletons. Two kinds of motors, the proteins dynein and kinesin, travel in opposite directions along the microtubules. Reck–Peterson wants to understand how dynein, which transports dozens to hundreds of different cellular cargos, is regulated and how it teams up with kinesin to coordinate the shipping process. She and her team employ a variety of approaches to address these questions, including single-molecule biophysics, cryo-electron microscopy, live-cell imaging, genetics, proteomics, and DNA nanotechnology. The team’s findings may advance understanding of neurological disorders caused by genetic mutations that affect motor proteins.