Dr. Alexandra Castillo-Ruiz,
Principal Investigator

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Dr. Castillo-Ruiz obtained her BSc at Agrarian La Molina University in Lima, Peru, and her MA and PhD at Michigan State University. She completed Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Georgia State University.  Prior to joining Michigan State, she was Research Faculty at Georgia State University where she was named a Wilczynski – Georgia Research Alliance Fellow.

Dr. Castillo-Ruiz investigates the role that birth plays in brain and behavioral development. Birth is arguably the most dramatic event in the life of a placental mammal, yet, perhaps because of its ubiquity, has been overlooked as an important orchestrator of brain development. To address this, she manipulates events and milestones associated with birth, including mode and timing of birth, and microbiota colonization in mice. Via these manipulations, she has found evidence for an unprecedented role of birth in brain development.

In addition to her research, Dr. Castillo-Ruiz is passionate about science outreach for the general public and has created and participated in numerous activities nationally and internationally.