Justin Varholick
Assistant Professor of Biology
Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Kennesaw State University
Education
Post-doc Fellowship, Regenerative Biology, University of Florida ('19 - '25)
Ph.D. Biomedical Science, University of Bern, Switzerland ('15 - '18)
M.A. Biopsychology, UNC Greensboro @ Wake Forest University ('12 - '14)
B.A. Psychology and Biology, UNC Greensboro ('09 - '12)
About Me
What if our actions could help rebuild our bodies after an injury? As an ethologist,
I explore how behavior and brain plasticity shape the process of tissue repair and
nerve regeneration. My research follows a dynamic systems approach: healing isn't
just about cells and genes, it's about how they interact with the brain, behavior,
and the environment.
My research began as a curios undergrad learning about handedness development in infants
and the effects of birth on brain development. Over time, I became fascinated by integrating
animal behavior into biomedical research. This laid the groundwork for my current
appraoch that animal behavior can be harnessed to understand how we can improve recovery
after nerve injury.
Now, I lead the REPAIR Lab at Kennesaw State University. Here, we are working to understand
and optimize how behaviors, environments, and biological systems together drive functional
healing and recovery. I'm always looking for new questions and collaborators who want
to push the boundaries of regenerative biology.
Research Interests
Tissue repair, Tissue regeneration, Neurobiology, Neuroplasticity, Behavioral recovery, Phenotypic variability, Social dominance behavior, Research design, Histology, Bioinformatics...