Cells self-organize by continuously remodeling internal membrane compartments that move and sort signaling, structural, and metabolic cargo.  Our goal is to understand how specialized cells like neurons deploy membrane-remodeling machinery to build and regulate these highly dynamic membrane structures. Using the fruit fly Drosophila as a primary model, we combine in vivo imaging of membrane traffic, mechanistic biochemistry, phenotypic analysis of mutants lacking this machinery, and evidence from disease models to approach these cell biological questions from multiple angles.