Meike van der Heijden

Meike van der Heijden, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the School of Neuroscience within Virginia Tech's College of Science. Her research focuses on cerebellar development in health and disease, particularly its role in pediatric movement disorders (ataxia, dystonia) and neurodevelopmental disorders (autism spectrum disorder).

Research Interests:
The cerebellum, a slow-developing brain region, supports motor control and non-motor functions like social/emotional processing. Van der Heijden investigates how cerebellar maturation guides postnatal behavior and how developmental disruptions cause disabilities. Her work targets precise treatments by studying cell-type-specific neural signals and pathways.

Article Trends:
Her recent publications examine cerebellar neurons' role in movement and social disorders, neural circuit development, and signal propagation in dystonia models. Keywords span neuroscience, neurodevelopmental disorders, and neural circuits.

Scientific Awards:

• Leading Edge Fellow (HHMI/Janelia, 2021)
• Rush and Helen Record Fellow in Neuroscience (Baylor, 2018)
• McNair Teaching Fellow (2016)
• Outstanding Educator Award (Baylor, 2016)

Advising & Grants:
She mentors graduate students in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health and School of Neuroscience. Her lab received a $190,000 grant from the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation to study noninvasive therapies for dystonia.

Labs & Teams:
Leads the Van der Heijden Lab, part of the Center for Neurobiology Research. The team includes graduate students and research assistants exploring cerebellar development through multi-disciplinary approaches.