Rate My Professor Brad Carter

Brad Carter, Ph.D., serves as Associate Professor of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and an M.S. from the University of Michigan, as well as a B.A. in Biochemistry from Augustana College. Joining the faculty in 2018, Dr. Carter directs the Carter Lab, where undergraduate students engage in molecular neuroscience research utilizing zebrafish as a model organism. His research examines the effects of genetic and environmental factors on brain development, with specific interests in developmental neurotoxicology and environmental factors linked to autism spectrum disorders. Additionally, he focuses on enhancing STEM undergraduate education and professional development through hands-on research experiences that lead to conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Carter instructs courses including IDIS 125: Brain: Introduction to Neuroscience, BIOL 221: Foundations of Biology I, BIOL 223: Foundations of Biological Inquiry, and BIOL 358: Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience. As principal investigator, he leads the NIH R25 grant-funded UWEC-Mayo Clinic Regenerative Neuroscience Scholars (ReNS) Program, enabling diverse UW-Eau Claire undergraduates to participate in paid summer research fellowships at Mayo Clinic Rochester, complemented by seminar training, near-peer mentoring, and presentations at conferences such as Midbrains, ABRCMS, and the university's Celebration of Excellence in Research and Creative Activity. His scholarly contributions include 'Incorporating Primer Amplification Efficiencies in Quantitative Real-Time PCR Analysis of Zebrafish Gene Expression' (Zebrafish, 2023, co-authored with G. Davis et al.), 'High-resolution melt analysis can distinguish variable PCR products for genotyping CRISPR mutagenesis in zebrafish' (2021, with A. Lutzke), 'Promoting Scientific Exchange and Student Training Through Scientific Meetings; Insights from a Joint Virtual Undergraduate Neuroscience Conference During the COVID-19 Pandemic' (Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 2022, with D.C. Jewett et al.), and earlier publications such as 'The microRNA network is altered in anterior cingulate cortex of patients with unipolar and bipolar depression' (Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2016) and 'Glucocorticoid treatment of astrocytes results in temporally dynamic transcriptome regulation and astrocyte-enriched mRNA changes in vitro' (Physiological Genomics, 2012). Dr. Carter participates in university governance as a member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee through 2027 and University Senate committees.