Julia Kelliher

Julia is the research technician/lab manager of the Laboratory of Addiction Genetics. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in neurobiology at Boston University and minored in visual arts. During her undergraduate time at Boston University, Julia worked in Dr. Heng-ye Man’s laboratory studying the trafficking and degradation of AMPA receptors to help elucidate the mechanism of the ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway. Since joining Dr. Bryant’s lab, Julia has been researching the genetic basis of binge eating and drug addiction using a systems genetic approach. Specifically, Julia has been working on fine-mapping a region of distal chromosome 1 implicated in sensitivity to oxycodone in a reduced complexity cross in order to identify candidate genes underlying this behavioral addiction trait. Additionally, Julia has been using inbred mouse strains to characterize genetic differences in the behavioral organization of binge eating, conditioned food reward, and compulsive-like eating. Julia’s third main project consists of developing a mouse model of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Outside of the lab, Julia enjoys hiking, running, drawing/painting, and traveling. She is currently applying to doctorate programs to further her career in research.