UMass Boston

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Juliet Girard

Department:
Biology
Title:
Assistant Professor

Area of Expertise

Developmental Biology, Hematopoiesis, Genetics, Molecular Biology

Degrees

PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California San Francisco (2015)

AB in Biochemical Sciences, Harvard University (2007)

Professional Publications & Contributions

Additional Information

Research Interests

The Girard lab studies the molecular mechanisms that govern blood cell development (hematopoiesis) using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as a model system. Insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie blood formation are necessary to understand the causes of blood diseases such as leukemia. Drosophila blood cells are immune cells with functional similarities to human myeloid cells such as macrophages, and despite the vast evolutionary distance that separates these two organisms, their blood cells employ some of the same molecular pathways for their development. The Girard lab investigates the process by which undifferentiated blood progenitor cells differentiate into a variety of specialized blood cell types. Their approach to this research combines the power of Drosophila genetics and microscopy with newer single cell and molecular techniques.

Honors

  • Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award
  • Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA)
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences Initiative to Maximize Student Diversity (IMSD) Graduate Research Fellowship