Justin Varholick

Assistant Professor of Biology
Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Kennesaw State University

Education

Post-doc Fellowship '19-'25 Regenerative Biology, University of Florida
Ph.D. '15-'18 Biomedical Science, University of Bern, Switzerland
M.A. '12-'14 Biopsychology, UNC Greensboro, Wake Forest University 
B.A. '08-'12 Psychology and Biology, UNC Greensboro

About Me

I am fascinated by the idea that our behaviors can shape our environments and bodies, from our brain and immune system all the way down to our cells and genes. I study how the brain and behavior interact with peripheral nerve regeneration and healing after injury. My work looks at healing as a whole system: not just cells and genes, but how they connect and interact with the brain, behavior, and environment.

I started research as an undergrad, curious how babies develop handedness and using rats as a model to understand how birth affects the brain. That curiosity grew into a passion for combining animal behavior with biomedical research. I realized that behavior (think, biomechanics, movement, and brain plasticity) is often overlooked, but can be a powerful tool to understand recovery after injury. 

Now, I lead The Varholick Lab at Kennesaw State University. Our team explores how behavior, the environment, cells, and genes work together to drive healing. We're always looking for curious minds and new ideas, so if you're interested in tissue regeneration and behavior, let's connect!

Research Interests

Tissue repair, Tissue regeneration, Neurobiology, Neuroplasticity, Behavioral recovery, Phenotypic variability, Social dominance behavior,  Research design, Histology, Bioinformatics...