George E. Barreto earned his PhD in Neuroscience (2009) from the Universidad Complutense Madrid (Spain) studying the effects of neurosteroids on reactive glia with traumatic brain injury under the supervision of Professor Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura. His Post-doctoral training in Neuroscience at Stanford University School of Medicine (2009-2011), under the mentorship of Professor Rona G. Giffard, focused on addressing the role of astrocytes activation following stroke and enhance astrocytic functions targeting neuronal protection. With the collaboration of Professor Carla J. Shatz, also from Stanford, Dr Barreto and cols discovered that both PirB receptor and MHCI molecules are involved in the physiopathology of stroke by regulating astroglia activation and behavioural outcome.

 

George joined the University of Limerick (UL, Ireland) in 2019. Nowadays he is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Cell Biology/Immunology in the Department of Biological Sciences, and a member of the Health Research Institute from the same University. Also George is the ERASMUS contact point within the Dept and member of the EDF Steering Committee and Events and Media subgroup, the Chair of Action Plan subgroup in the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum Committee, and recently joined the Athena Swan Steering Committee at UL. These are tremendous and exciting initiatives to promote inclusion in an active and participatory way, promoting institutional campaigns to encourage tolerance, respect and educating for others.

 

Teaching interests

 

George currently teaches on the B.Sc. in Bioscience and MS.c in Biomolecular Science at UL, where his broad interests are in the area of neurobiology, neuroimmunology, and neuropharmacology. He is currently the leader for the following modules:

 

BY4037: Pharmacology and Drug Development

BY4048: Advanced Cell and Molecular Biology

BY6011: Advanced Cell Biology (Master course)

 

Research interests

 

1- Neuroendocrinology

2- Neurobiology

3- Neurosciences

    Specific Key Terms

Mitochondria

Cellular metabolism

Biological Sex differences

Brain

Glial Cells

Neurosteroids

Neurodegenerative Diseases

Hormones

Neuroinflammation

Traumatic brain injury

 

 

When working...

 

When not working...love traveling, meeting new cultures and people!!!