Faculty Spotlight: Q&A with Jacqueline Bonds, PhD

The USD College of Arts and Sciences (the college) hired 14 new faculty members in three distinctive themes – Borders and Social Justice, Technology and the Human Experience and Climate Change and Environmental Justice – this past fall. As part of the university's commitment to academic excellence, the college endeavored to assemble a cohort of teacher-scholars who offer a strong contribution to the excellence of USD through teaching, scholarship, service and collaboration.

This spring semester, the college is featuring each new faculty member with a Q&A series every week. Each spotlight highlights their professional journeys, academic expertise, research and their goals for fostering academic and personal growth within the USD community.

Learn more about Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior Jacqueline Bonds, PhD, her background and her passion for research and teaching in the Q&A below: 

Cluster-Theme: Technology and the Human Experience

Q: Please share your name, title, department and the subjects or courses you will be teaching at USD.

A: I am in the new Department of Neuroscience, Cognition and Behavior. I am teaching Introduction to Neuroscience and the Neuroscience Capstone course this semester.

Q: What key experiences have shaped your career and where you are today? 

A: The path to where I am now has been long and exciting. I think one of the key experiences along the way was getting research experience. I am an alumna of USD, and one of the adjunct professors for my biology lab was always talking about his research at UCSD, so I asked if I could join him. He graciously allowed me to join, and I learned so much about the way that science is done. He has continued to be a mentor of mine to this day. 

The second research experience I had was at Washington University in St. Louis, which was in an entirely different field—genetics. I would encourage students to seek out research opportunities here on campus as well as other summer research programs in a range of fields. I would be entirely different if not for these research experiences as an undergrad.

Q: What sparked your interest in the neuroscience position, and what drew you to this particular focus? How are you contributing to that focus in your work here?

A: For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the brain. I was even a brain surgeon for Halloween when I was four years old! As I continued my education, it became clear to me that I absolutely loved being in a research lab and that I carried a deep passion for teaching. Many research positions in academia are largely research-focused, meaning research comes first, and teaching comes second, which I think is a great thing. We need people whose strengths and passions lie in running research labs at large institutions. These professors can certainly be great teachers, but their passion is not in the classroom. USD is unique in that they highly value research but not more than they do teaching. This position offered me exactly what I was looking for in terms of teaching and research.

Q: What aspects of joining the University of San Diego community are you most excited about?

A: As an alumna, it’s really exciting to be back on campus in this role. I am most excited about starting my lab so I can help provide students with research experience and exposure that have been so valuable to my career. USD is an amazing place to grow and learn, and I am honored to have experienced it as an undergrad and now firmly in my career.

Q: How do you envision your course curriculum contributing to the academic and personal growth of USD students?

A: The courses I am currently teaching are Introduction to Neuroscience (NEUR 201) and the Neuroscience Capstone (NEUR 470). This class is mainly focused on the complex neural systems that dictate behavior. While this is a ways away from stem cells, it is important to have perspective on how small molecular changes in various cell types of the brain can change larger systems.

In the future, I look forward to developing courses that use current research literature to understand the many fields of neuroscience. Reading primary research is critical to success in both the academic and medical fields, so I hope these future courses will prepare USD students for their careers and provide insight into the ways that scientists are trying to answer society’s biggest questions. I would love the students to be able to use this knowledge in conversations with their friends, families and coworkers.

Q: What current research projects are you working on or interested in, and how do they align with your cluster theme? 

A: The research I will be conducting at USD will use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that influence the neural environment to promote the survival and differentiation of oligodendrocytes—the cell types responsible for myelination in the brain. My lab will focus on three key areas: Defining the signaling pathways that regulate oligodendrogenesis in the regions of the brain where stem cells exist; measuring the impact of mitochondrial function on neural stem cell proliferation and function; and using iPSCs to measure the response of progenitor cells, both neuronal and oligodendrocyte, to various therapies used to treat MS and other neurological disorders.

Q: What’s an interesting or unique fact about yourself that others might not know?

A: My parents were both DJs in the 1970s and 1980s and spent their entire careers on the radio. My dad was also the former PA announcer for the San Francisco Giants and was announcing during the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989—which I apparently slept right through.