Neuroscience Alum Is First Author on Publication in Nature
Julia Rocereta ’19, a pharmacology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, used cryo-electron microscopy to discover how a proposed cardiovascular drug binds to a protein in the heart.By: Meghan Kita Thursday, March 13, 2025 03:24 PM
Julia Rocereta ’19 in her lab at PennHow did Julia Rocereta ’19, now a pharmacology Ph.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania, become interested in her field of study? Through her research experiences as an undergraduate.
“It truly was at Muhlenberg,” says Rocereta, who was a neuroscience major and a public health minor. “I noticed pretty early on in coursework that I tended to gravitate more toward classes that focused on the molecular side of biology or neuroscience. … I really wanted to take those interests beyond the classroom and get some hands-on experience in a research lab.”
Rocereta uses liquid nitrogen to freeze her protein samples.
She joined the lab of her advisor, Stanley Road Professor of Neuroscience Jeremy Teissere, who studies how naturally occurring compounds target GABA receptors in the brain. “That was my first introduction to the world of pharmacology, and it really complemented my coursework,” she says.
After Muhlenberg, Rocereta spent two years as a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award fellow with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “That really solidified my passion for research and my niche for molecular pharmacology,” she says “That full-time research experience, along with my research experience at Muhlenberg, really showed me that the Ph.D. route is for me. Research is where I want to go.”
“Nature is one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world. Being first author on an article in this journal, especially as a grad student, is special.”
—Dean of Academic Life Gretchen Gotthard
She began her studies at Penn in 2021. In the lab, she began using cryo-electron microscopy to explore how drugs bind to proteins. Here, she focused on an FDA-approved drug that has recently shown promise repurposing for cardiovascular indication. That work became “Structural insights into TRPV2 modulation by probenecid,” a paper that was published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology last month.
“Nature is one of the most prestigious scientific journals in the world,” says Dean of Academic Life Gretchen Gotthard, who’s also a faculty member in neuroscience and psychology. “Being first author on an article in this journal, especially as a grad student, is special.”
Rocereta, who describes the process of getting this research published as “very rewarding,” says the supportive environment in her lab was one factor that helped her achieve this milestone as a doctoral student. That was one of the key things she looked for in a Ph.D. lab because she found it so valuable as an undergraduate researcher in Teissere’s lab.
“I had a group of my peers that I worked with [as an undergraduate researcher at Muhlenberg]. We were all very collaborative and worked well together and supported each other.”
—Julia Rocereta ’19
“I had a group of my peers that I worked with. We were all very collaborative and worked well together and supported each other. That’s the most important thing, going into a Ph.D.,” she says. “You want support from your principal investigator, who runs the lab. You want support from your lab mates, your student peers, your department, and even people you work with outside your [program]. You want lots of support because it’s difficult.”
Hear a more in-depth interview with Rocereta on our alumni podcast, 2400 CHEW:
