Thomas Mark Newpher

I teach, mentor, and advise in Duke’s Neuroscience major, and serve as the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in Neuroscience.  I also direct the Duke Summer Neuroscience Program, which provides research and professional development opportunities for undergraduate fellows.  I earned my B.A. in Biology from Thiel College and my Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Microbiology from Case Western Reserve University.  In addition, I received postdoctoral training in the Departments of Neurobiology and Cell Biology at Duke University, where my research focused on the molecular mechanisms that underlie learning-related synaptic plasticity.

As a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience I teach several courses, including Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (NEUROSCI 223), Contemporary Neuroscience Methods (NEUROSCI 376), the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory (NEUROSCI 461S), and Neuroplasticity and Disease (NEUROSCI 353S). My courses use a variety of team-based learning activities to promote critical thinking skills, foster collaboration among students, and create an engaging, student-centered classroom experience. As a co-PI in the Duke Team-Based Learning lab, I study the impacts of collaborative learning on student performance and classroom dynamics.