Dr. Luke Bradley Named Acting Chair of Neuroscience
The University of Kentucky College of Medicine is pleased to announce that Luke Bradley, PhD, has accepted the position of acting chair of the department of neuroscience, effective Aug. 1.
Dr. Bradley, a University of Kentucky Chellgren Endowed Professor, has served in the College of Medicine for nearly 15 years researching the discovery and development of peptide- and protein-based platforms for biotherapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. He also touts more than 20 years of STEM education experience.
Dr. Bradley currently serves as professor in the department of neuroscience with a secondary appointment in the department of molecular and cellular biochemistry. He also serves as faculty within UK’s Lewis Honors College, the College of Medicine’s Brain Restoration Center, and the Center for Structural Biology.
He was recently selected to join the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education Faculty Advisory Network, joining 19 other appointed members from Kentucky colleges and universities to promote student success across the state. His role involves advising and providing ideas on state-level policies and initiatives to close achievement gaps and improve quality of academics.
Dr. Bradley established the University of Kentucky’s NIH-funded START program (STEM Through Authentic Research and Training), which provides year-round research opportunities and professional development activities for high school students and teachers towards the recruitment and retention of first generation and underrepresented populations in STEM. In 2018, his experience as a highly qualified educator was recognized by being named University of Kentucky Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year.
Dr. Bradley will serve as acting chair until a new chair is selected. The College of Medicine plans to initiate a search in the spring of 2022, and college leadership will meet with the department of neuroscience closer to that time to orchestrate the process.
The College of Medicine would like to thank Bret Smith, PhD, for all of his work as chair of neuroscience, and we wish him well in his future endeavors. Congratulations to Dr. Bradley for being selected to take over this role. We are excited for what your leadership brings to the department this year.
