Seung-Eon Roh, PhD

Dr. Seung-Eon Roh is a neuroscientist committed to advancing human cognition and improving mental health. With extensive expertise in molecular and cellular biology, systems neuroscience, and the mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, Dr. Roh is at the forefront of modern neuroscience. His research focuses on uncovering the fundamental processes of cognition to develop interventions that support cognitive function and address debilitating neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and schizophrenia.

Dr. Roh earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Sungkyunkwan University and completed his Ph.D. at Seoul National University College of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Sang Jeong Kim. His doctoral research explored cerebellar sensory information processing critical for synaptic plasticity using in vivo two-photon microscopy, culminating in a publication in eLife (2020). He later joined Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Neuroscience as a postdoctoral researcher under the mentorship of Dr. Paul Worley, where he investigated the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and circuit refinement, focusing on the synaptic immediate early gene Neuronal Pentraxin 2 (NPTX2). His work utilized systems-level approaches, including two-photon microscopy, to elucidate the role of NPTX2 in plasticity and circuit dynamics, resulting in high-impact publications in Science Advances (2021) and PNAS (2021). Additionally, he examined the molecular mechanisms of sleep and circadian rhythm disruption in neurological diseases (bioRxiv, 2023).

Dr. Roh’s contributions to neuroscience have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Young Investigator’s Day Award from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2022), the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Junior Faculty Award (2022), the NARSAD Young Investigator Award (2023), and the Alzheimer’s Association Research Fellowship (2023). He was recently awarded Grant Accelerator Award from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (2024).

In 2024, Dr. Roh was appointed Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine through a joint recruitment by the Departments of Neurology and Neuroscience. His research team focuses on unraveling the molecular and synaptic mechanisms underlying cognitive function and their disruption in neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. A significant area of his work involves investigating the molecular and circuit mechanisms of sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances in AD. Through his research, Dr. Roh aims to identify novel therapeutic targets to combat cognitive decline and neurological diseases, advancing the field of neuroscience and improving patient outcomes.