Dr. Julia Derk has always been fascinated with brains, how they work, and why they change with stress and age. On her educational journey, Julia obtained her PhD in Biomedical Science from New York University School of Medicine and a B.S. in Neuroscience and Psychology from Brandeis University. In addition to her role in the Neuroengineering Collective, Julia is the Co-Founder and Board President of Clear Direction Mentoring (www.cleardirectionmentoring.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing long-term mentorship and immersive STEMM experiences to students from marginalized and historically excluded backgrounds. Julia's passions for science, education, mentoring, and community building are palpable and she is honored to be on this fabulous team. Outside of lab, Julia loves yoga, skiing, riding bikes, cooking, and hanging out with her cat, Photon.

Jonathan received his B.A. in applied linguistics and education from Washington University in St. Louis and his M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University. His academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of program evaluation, community development, and fostering equity in education at all levels. Outside of lab, he enjoys listening to jazz, playing chess, reading and writing fiction, and spending time with his amazing family.