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 this idea that our behaviors can have a direct impact on our environments, genetics, physiologies, immune systems, cells, etc. As a trained ethologist, I explore how behavior and brain plasticity shape the process of peripheral nerve regeneration and healing after an injury. 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 curious undergrad learning about handedness development in human infants and the effects of birth on brain development using rats as a model. Over time, I became fascinated by integrating animal behavior into biomedical research. At almost every juncture I felt that fundamental animal behaviors were being ignored. This laid the groundwork for my current approach that animal behavior (think, biomechanics and neuroplasticity) can be harnessed to understand how we can improve recovery after injury.

Now, I lead The Varholick Lab at Kennesaw State University. Here, we are working to understand and optimize how behaviors, environments, cells, and genes together drive functional healing and recovery. I'm always looking for new questions and collaborators who want to push the boundaries of regenerative biology, so please reach out to schedule a meeting.

Research Interests

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