Varholick LabKennesaw State University
News
Grants, papers, people, and milestones, newest first.
Open positions
Regeneration, behavioral neuroscience, and physiology in spiny mice, salamanders, and planarians.
How to applyOctober 2026
Our lab's first research paper, "A note on the presence and sexual dimorphism of midventral glands in African spiny mice (Acomys cahirinus)", is now published in The Anatomical Record! Most of this work was done at the University of Florida. Read the Paper
August 2026
Undergraduate researcher Sienna Bennett presented her research at the 13th Annual Birla Carbon Scholars Research Symposium at Kennesaw State University following her 10-week summer research fellowship in the Varholick Lab. Congratulations, Sienna!
May 2026
Walton High School researcher Rachel (Jaehyeon) Lee won the Third Grand Award at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona! Her project, conducted in our lab under Dr. Varholick's mentorship, was titled "Glucotoxicity in Regeneration: Modeling Hyperglycemia-Induced Repair Failure in Schmidtea mediterranea". In addition to the ISEF Grand Award, Rachel earned the Regeneron Biomedical Science Award and was recognized as a runner-up in the Georgia BioGENEius Challenge. Huge congratulations, Rachel!
February 2026
Rachel (Jaehyeon) Lee, a high school student from Walton High School in Marietta, GA, who worked in our lab over winter break, has been selected to present her research on planarian regeneration at Regeneron ISEF 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. Congratulations, Rachel!
January 2026
The lab has open positions for research projects on tissue regeneration, behavioral neuroscience, and physiology in highly regenerative rodents, salamanders, and planarians. Students will have opportunities to incorporate laboratory, bioinformatic, and possibly field methods and work collaboratively with other lab members. Learn More
December 2025
The Varholick Lab was awarded two internal grants. A $19k grant for "Unravelling synaptic resilience: neurobiological mechanisms of enhanced learning and memory in Acomys cahirinus." In collaboration with Dr. Vishnu Suppiramanian and Dr. Erica Holliday. The other is a $3.5k award to study "Exploring neuroanatomy and sensory innervation in polymorphic two-lined salamanders" with Dr. Todd Pierson and students Kellyn Gilligan and Ito Osayi.
October 2025
Stefania and Sienna have been awarded a First-Year Scholar scholarship to work on a project titled, "Uncovering What Regenerates When Skin Nerves Are Injured in Highly Regenerative Animals". Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Research.
August 2025
Stop by SC 360 and say hello. Hopefully we'll start antibody staining soon, and have animals next semester.
August 2025
Prof. Malcolm Maden from the University of Florida presented our research on cutaneous nerve and whisker follicle regeneration at ISRB 2025.
June 2025
Here, Dr. Varholick and his team at the University of Florida, showed that Spiny Mice can regenerate their whisker follicles after they are removed from the face alongside regeneration of the muscles and cutaneous nerves with sheathing and all.