Julia Shaw

Dr. Julia Shaw is a Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle's School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, affiliated with the Mothers and Babies Research Centre. Her work focuses on neurosteroid loss in preterm births and its impact on neurodevelopmental trajectories. She holds a PhD in Experimental Pharmacology (2017) and has conducted collaborative research in New Zealand.

• Education:
  • Doctor of Philosophy (Experimental Pharmacology), University of Newcastle (2017)
  • Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences (Honours), University of Newcastle

Research interests include neurosteroids' role in fetal brain development, preterm birth complications, and neuroprotection strategies. Her studies use guinea pig models to investigate therapies like ganaxolone and zuranolone, aiming to mitigate behavioral disorders (e.g., ADHD, anxiety) linked to prematurity.

Publications (2021–2025) emphasize neurosteroid-based interventions, dopaminergic pathways, and myelination deficits. Key findings highlight the cerebellum's vulnerability and the potential of neurosteroid analogues to restore normal brain development.

• Awards:
  • 2017 ASMR Newcastle Satellite Meeting Best Poster
  • 2014 Fetal and Neonatal Workshop Best Oral Presentation

Grants (2015–2024) total $1.2M, supporting projects like neurosteroid therapy for preterm infants and gut-brain interactions. She co-supervises PhD students exploring cerebellar impacts and dopamine pathways post-preterm birth.

Labs/Teams: Part of the Pregnancy Compromise and Neuroprotection group, collaborating with HMRI and the University of Otago.