Valentinos Zachariou

Dr. Valentinos Zachariou holds the position of Assistant Professor within the Department of Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky. He earned his doctoral degree in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University before embarking on a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health. Following the completion of his fellowship, Dr. Zachariou joined the University of Kentucky, initially as a Scientist within the Department of Neuroscience. Throughout his career, Dr. Zachariou has demonstrated remarkable productivity, authoring numerous publications as a first author and steadily advancing through the academic ranks, culminating in his recent appointment as an Assistant Professor within the Department of Behavioral Science. Currently, Dr. Zachariou actively participates as a Co-Investigator and collaborator on various research projects, both within the University of Kentucky and those funded by federal grants. These endeavors include his involvement in a UKY alliance research initiative and projects supported by the National Institutes on Aging and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Zachariou's research is centered on the intriguing topic of brain iron accumulation, a phenomenon associated with normal aging. He investigates the impact of this accumulation on specific brain networks and its implications for cognitive health. His work also explores strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of excess brain iron on cognition, particularly through healthy dietary interventions. Notably, Dr. Zachariou's research in the realm of dietary intake has garnered attention from various news media outlets, which wrote articles on his research.