Jennifer Luebke, PhD, Waterhouse Professor and chair of anatomy & neurobiology since 2018, has announced her intention to step down as chair of the department when her successor is named. 

Luebke’s many roles at BU have included principal investigator of the Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology since 1996, vice chair of anatomy & neurobiology, and director of the PhD and Vesalius Master’s Programs in Anatomy & Neurobiology. She has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Boston University Faculty Council, including as chair of the Sustainability Committee, and chair of the Supply Chain & Waste Working Group of BU’s Climate Action Plan Taskforce. She also has served on BU’s Council Committee on Graduate Academic Programs and Policies and is currently on the medical school’s Faculty Appointment and Promotions Committee. 

Luebke received her doctorate in anatomy & neurobiology from Boston University and completed postdoctoral training in neurophysiology at Harvard Medical School and Tufts University School of Medicine. She joined the faculty as an assistant professor of anatomy & neurobiology in 1996. 

Her research focuses on how specific anatomical, physiological, and molecular features of neurons and neuropil in diverse cortical regions enable area-specific functionality, and how distinctive features may be associated with differential vulnerability in normal and pathological aging. Her work, continuously funded for more than 25 years, has identified region and species-specific characteristics of neurons and potential mechanisms underlying vulnerability of neurons in normal aging and in neurodegenerative disease. 

During her tenure as chair, Luebke strengthened the department by recruiting outstanding new faculty researchers and educators, enhancing infrastructure, and supporting graduate and medical student training as well as faculty and staff careers, including healthy work environments. She leaves a legacy of collegiality, collaboration, and dedication to the highest standards in education, graduate training, and research.