Dr. Julia Derk is a visiting research scientist at NCCU and a senior scientist for Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Derk leads the collaborative lab space between the Dzirasa (Duke) and Marshall (NCCU) labs. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from New York University School of Medicine and a B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology from Brandeis University.
In addition to her role in the Marshall and Dzirasa Neuroscience Research Laboratories, Dr. Derk is the co-founder and board president of Clear Direction Mentoring (www.cleardirectionmentoring.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing long-term mentorship and immersive science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) experiences to students from marginalized and historically excluded backgrounds.
You can find Dr. Derk in the Mary Townes Science Complex, working with her students and studying how genetically engineered gap junction proteins form novel connections between neurons and astrocytes to help rewire brains.