معرفی
Harald Sontheimer, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He joined UVA in 2021 after prior leadership roles at Virginia Tech and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His research focuses on glial cells in neurological diseases and brain cancer.
Education:
- Ph.D. in Biophysics and Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience, University of Heidelberg (1989)
- Masters in Evolutionary Comparative Neuroscience, University of Heidelberg (1986)
Dr. Sontheimer’s research explores the role of glial support cells in health and disease, particularly in epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and malignant gliomas. His lab uses electrophysiology, multi-photon microscopy, and molecular techniques to study glial-vascular interactions, ion homeostasis, and tumor-induced neurodegeneration. He discovered that aberrant glutamate release from brain tumors causes tumor-associated epilepsy, leading to clinical trials.
His recent publications reveal trends in neuroengineering, glial biology, and brain tumor metabolism, with innovations in fiber-based neural interfaces, perineuronal net dynamics, and amino acid transport in glioblastoma. His work bridges basic science and translational applications.
Scientific Awards:
- PROSE Award for Diseases of the Nervous System, an award-winning textbook
Dr. Sontheimer has trained over 50 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He has secured significant research funding and leads major initiatives, including founding the Center for Glial Biology in Medicine and the nation’s first School of Neuroscience at Virginia Tech. He serves on advisory boards for the NIH, Dana Foundation, and American Brain Tumor Association.
His lab, the Sontheimer Lab, continues to investigate glial contributions to neurological disorders and develop novel therapeutic strategies for brain cancer and epilepsy.
