Biography

Dr. Julio J. Ramirez obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology from Clark University in 1983. He taught at the College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University from 1981 to 1985. He did his postdoctoral work in Neuroscience at MIT from 1985 to 1986. Presently he is the R. Stuart Dickson Professor of Psychology at Davidson College, where he has been since 1986. Dr. Ramirez’s research interests include the recovery of function after central nervous system injury, with an emphasis on determining the functional significance of hippocampal neuroplasticity. His research and mentoring efforts have been supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Ramirez teaches courses in neuroscience and psychology. He has involved well over 150 undergraduate students in his research program since 1981. Numerous students have coauthored presentations and papers with him in national and international conferences and journals. He received the 2011 Society for Neuroscience (SfN) Award for Education in Neuroscience and the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Mentor Award. He co-directed the Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) at the SfN from 2012 to 2021 with Dr. Gina Poe. During his term as co-Director, the NSP received a 2014 PAESMEM award. Dr. Ramirez received the Bernice Grafstein Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Mentoring from the Society for Neuroscience in 2015. The Association for Psychological Science (APS) awarded him a lifetime achievement award for mentorship in 2024 (APS Mentor Award). He was the Founding President of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, a national organization dedicated to promoting undergraduate education in the neurosciences. Dr. Ramirez served as an SfN Councilor and Treasurer during the period from 2015 to 2023.