Rate My Professor Julius Zhu

Julius Zhu, PhD, serves as Professor of Pharmacology in the University of Virginia School of Medicine. His research centers on neural circuit mechanisms of behavior and diseases, focusing on cortical circuits in healthy and diseased brains, synaptic transmission, and neurotransmission dynamics. Zhu's work elucidates the architectural organization of complex neuronal networks and their roles in neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Zhu has pioneered techniques revolutionizing neuroscience research. In 2018, he developed a method to visualize brain cells communicating in real-time, offering clues to brain dysfunctions, and a strategy to create medicines free of side effects through precise molecular manipulation. In 2017, his team introduced a technique to dramatically accelerate research into cancer and genetic diseases. In 2021, Zhu created a new brain sensor providing detailed insights into Alzheimer’s progression. In 2023, he secured a $2 million National Institutes of Health grant for the project “Architectonic Analysis of Complex Cortical Circuits in Healthy and Diseased Brain,” utilizing advanced octuple-sexdecuple whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to reveal cortical operational principles and deficits in aging and Alzheimer’s brains. Additionally, he received 2018 seed funding from the UVA Brain Institute for genetically encoded dopamine sensors.

Zhu’s key publications include “Architectural organization of ∼1500-neuron modular cortical networks” (Cell Reports, 2023), “Canonical Organization of Layer 1 Neuron-Led Cortical Inhibitory Circuits” (Cerebral Cortex, 2015), “The organization of two novel cortical interneuronal circuits” (Nature Neuroscience, 2013), and “Activity Level-Dependent Synapse-Specific AMPA Receptor Trafficking Regulates Transmission Kinetics” (Journal of Neuroscience, 2009). These contributions have advanced synaptic plasticity and circuit analysis in the field.