Michael W. Quick, Ph.D., is Dean of Research in the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, a Professor of Biological Sciences, and a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Excellence in Teaching. He received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Emory University in 1992. After a postdoctoral position at California Institute of Technology, he took a faculty position in the Department of Neurobiology at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He joined USC in 2002.
The Quick lab uses the tools of modern molecular neurobiology to examine the cellular and subcellular processes that underlie neural communication, but which also specifically contribute to diseases such as epilepsy, cocaine and amphetamine abuse, and nicotine addiction.
Michael’s commitment to academic excellence includes efforts at the undergraduate and graduate levels both at USC and nationally. His current undergraduate courses include “From ecstasy to epilepsy: the biological basis of nervous system disorders,” and “Sex, drugs, and rock & roll: the neurobiology of addiction”, and he recently created and runs a seminar in scientific integrity for incoming graduate students. He serves on the National Board of Medical Examiners, reviews student research fellowships through the auspices of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and serves on a national committee that is establishing guidelines for medical school neuroscience curricula. He has been the recipient of a number of awards for his teaching endeavors including a Presidential Teaching Award at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, their highest teaching honor. Since coming to USC he has been recognized by the Mortar Board Society and received a “Teaching Has no Boundaries” award.
