Nichole Link

Nichole Link is an Assistant Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Utah, specializing in Drosophila models of human neurological diseases. Her research focuses on microcephaly, Zika virus-induced neurodevelopmental disorders, and the molecular mechanisms of neuronal stem cell division.

Education:

• B.A. from Hendrix College
• Ph.D. from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Research interests center on identifying conserved genetic pathways that regulate brain development and disease. She discovered the role of ANKLE2 in microcephaly, demonstrating its interaction with VRK1 kinase in asymmetric cell division. Her lab also uncovered how Zika virus protein NS4A inhibits ANKLE2 function, enabling therapeutic target identification.

Using Drosophila as a platform, her team validates clinical variants and establishes disease mechanisms through functional interrogation. This work bridges neurogenetics, virology, and developmental biology, with implications for both infectious and inherited neurological conditions.

Collaborations include contributions to flavivirus-host interaction mapping and publications in journals like Cell and Developmental Cell, though no specific scientific awards are mentioned in available sources.