Robert Youker

Robert Youker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Western Carolina University, within the College of Arts and Sciences. His contact information includes email rtyouker@wcu.edu, phone 828.227.2945, and office 440 Apodaca Science Building. He uses he/his/him pronouns.

Dr. Youker holds a BS in Biochemistry from Manhattan College, an MHS in Reproductive Biology from Johns Hopkins University, a PhD in Cellular, Molecular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Pittsburgh, and a certificate in Optical Engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He completed postdoctoral research at the Vollum Institute (Portland, Oregon) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical School's Renal-Electrolyte Division of Internal Medicine.

His teaching focuses on Cellular and Molecular Biology, Advanced Microscopy Techniques, Biotechnology Principles, Cell Stress Signaling, and Reproductive Biology. Research interests center on protein folding, degradation, and trafficking in mammalian cells, particularly in diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Cystic Fibrosis. His lab uses quantitative fluorescence microscopy to study CFTR and GPCRs at single-molecule resolution, emphasizing techniques like mammalian tissue culture, molecular cloning, and advanced imaging.

His recent work includes studying microplastic distribution in mountain basins and developing educational tools with virtual reality. The Youker laboratory integrates cutting-edge microscopy with bioengineering to address fundamental cellular processes and their biomedical implications.