Melissa Rolls

Melissa Rolls is the Paul Berg Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Pennsylvania State University and Chair of the Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Biosciences (MCIB) Graduate Program. She holds affiliations with the Eberly College of Science, the Center for Cellular Dynamics, and the Neuroscience Graduate Program. Her research focuses on neuronal polarity and injury responses, particularly microtubule dynamics in neurons. Key roles include Co-Director of the Penn State Medical Scientist Training Program and Associate Director of the MCIB Program.

Education: B.S. in Biology from Yale University (1995), Ph.D. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Harvard University (2001), and postdoctoral training in Neuroscience and Molecular Biology at the University of Oregon (2007).

Research interests include:

• Microtubule regulation in axon/dendrite polarity
• Neuronal injury response mechanisms
• Evolution of neural complexity in sea anemones
• Regeneration pathways in Drosophila and vertebrate models

Publications highlight advancements in: dendrite regeneration mechanisms, microtubule nucleation control, and neuronal injury response signaling. Recent work emphasizes calcium signaling's role in regeneration timing and Wnt signaling's role in microtubule organization.

Notable awards include the Pew Biomedical Scholarship (2009-2013), Tershak Teaching Award (2012), and multiple leadership recognitions. Her lab utilizes Drosophila genetics and live imaging to study neuronal processes in vivo.

Grants and advising: Active grants focus on cytoskeletal dynamics and regeneration. Mentors graduate students in the MCIB and Neuroscience programs. Current lab projects investigate microtubule minus-end regulation, neuronal polarization evolution, and injury response pathways.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Rolls Lab at Penn State, collaborating with the Center for Cellular Dynamics to advance understanding of neuronal structure and repair mechanisms.