Student Profile
Mark Borromeo’s interest in the field of neuroscience began when he was an undergraduate student researching the neurobiology of learning and memory, and neural plasticity after a stroke. Following undergraduate work in this area, Mark continued his interest in neuroscience in an industrial setting at Lexicon Genetics, where he was responsible for performing a battery of neurological tests on gene-knockout mice to uncover unique behavioral phenotypes if they existed. These experiences brought Mark to UT Southwestern, where he is training in molecular and cellular neuroscience.
“More specifically, I am studying transcriptional mechanisms that regulate the developing nervous system, and the formation of specific neuroendocrine cancers,” said Mark. “Understanding how transcription factors regulate neuronal differentiation and diversity has direct implications for stem cell biology and cancer.”
Mark chose to pursue the training for his PhD at UT Southwestern for several reasons.
“Most importantly, the UT Southwestern Graduate School training staff is led by some of the most distinguished researchers in science today,” he said. “In addition, the Neuroscience program at UT Southwestern exposes you to several areas of neuroscience such as Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, and Behavioral Neuroscience. The Neuroscience program promotes a strong collaborative environment among its laboratories, providing the faculty and students access to expertise and techniques beyond their respective discipline.”
Mark is a native of Austin, Texas, and received a bachelor of science in Neurobiology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Mark Borromeo
Neuroscience Program, 4th-Year
Mentor: Dr. Jane Johnson