Affiliation: Duke University

Dr. Nicole Scott-Hewitt is an incoming Assistant Professor in the Cell Biology department at Duke University. She earned her PhD in Genetics from the University of Rochester under the mentorship of Dr. Mark Noble, where she investigated how lysosomal dysfunction and lipid dyshomeostasis contribute to neurodegeneration. As a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Beth Stevens at Boston Children’s Hospital, her research focused on investigating how neuroimmune interactions shape the brain across development and aging. She uncovered a unique role of a secreted immune protein in critical intraneuronal processes; demonstrating that the microglial-derived complement protein C1q undergoes RNA-dependent liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), interacts with neuronal ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes in an age- and RNA-dependent manner, and impacts intraneuronal proteostasis in the adult brain. As an independent investigator she will continue to explore how neuroimmune and glial interactions have evolved unexpected downstream biological activities that impact brain function across aging and disease.