Julia J. Mack, PhD

Julia is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology at UCLA. She received her Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from UCLA working in Prof. Richard Kaner’s laboratory on carbon nanomaterials. She then worked in industry at Teledyne Scientific in the Composite Materials Group. After developing biocompatible composites for tissue engineering applications, she decided to return to UCLA in 2011 to study vascular biology as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Prof. Luisa Iruela-Arispe. As a postdoc, she discovered that NOTCH1 is an endothelial mechanosensor and functions to maintain arterial homeostasis in the adult vasculature. She established the role of NOTCH1 protein in endothelial quiescence under flow and revealed the pathophysiological relevance of NOTCH1 signaling in suppressing atherosclerosis. Julia is interested in modes of endothelial mechanotransduction to discover how blood flow controls vascular function. Her broad research interests lie in the multi-disciplinary field of regenerative medicine, specifically focusing on the complex role of physical forces in vascular response and remodeling. To this end, the lab utilizes bioreactor systems to control the microenvironment and investigates how cells organize and communicate. In her spare time, Julia enjoys the sunny California weather by hiking the Santa Monica mountains, cruising along Venice beach bike paths and yoga in the park.