Dom J. Acri

Postdoctoral Fellow

National Institute on Aging (Lab of Neurogenetics)

Dom Acri is a neuroscientist and bioinformatician interested in understanding the innate immune system of aging brains. After training in mouse models of neurodegeneration during his dissertation work in the laboratory of Dr. Jungsu Kim at Indiana University School of Medicine, Dom is currently continuing his training in age-related neurodegeneration with Dr. Mark Cookson in the National Institute on Aging’s (NIH/NIA) Laboratory of Neurogenetics - Cell Biology and Gene Expression Section. His expertise includes collecting and analyzing data from various transcriptomic assays, understanding epigenetic states using methylation and chromatin accessibilty assays, and functionally validated computationally predicted modifiers of ADRD-risk using iPSC-derived cell culture. Dom plans to pursue a career in academia, with a focus on genetic modifiers of glial cells in the aging brain.

Dom also has a particular passion for DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). He is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), active member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), and the co-founder of Natives In Neuroscience.

Interests

Neurodegeneration
Bioinformatics
RNAseq

Education

PhD in Medical Neuroscience, 2019 - 2024
Indiana University School of Medicine
BSc in Neuroscience & Behavior, 2014 - 2018
University of Notre Dame

Connect with me at Neuroscience 2024

Poster & SfN-sponsored social

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Most Recent Preprint

Single-cell spatial transcriptomics of a-Syn mouse model

Horan-Portelance, et al., _preprint_

Academic Experiences

Research, Service, + Internships

Postdoctoral Researcher

NIH/NIA - Intramural Research Program: Mark Cookson Laboratory

Jan 2024 – Present Bethesda, MD

Dom continuing his training in neurodegeneration in Bethesda. Through collaborations within the Laboratory of Neurogenetics, the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias, and other intramural laboratories, his work focuses mainly on using single cell multiomic assays to study the age-related effects within the innate immune system of the brain. He serves as a mentor within his laboratory, with the NINDS’s Heath Disparities in Tribal Communities (HDTC) program, and through NIH-wide events organized by the Office of Intramural Training and Education.’

PhD Student

Indiana University School of Medicine: Jungsu Kim Laboratory

Aug 2018 – Feb 2024 Indianapolis, IN

Dom completed his PhD in Medical Neuroscience in Indianapolis. Dissertation was titled “The Influence of Genetic Diversity in Tauopathy”, which investigated the impact of Mus musculus and Drosophila melanogaster models of population genetic variation in the study of hTauP301L-driven neurogeneration. As part of his career at IUSM, he received several honors including the Southern Regional Education Board’s Doctoral Scholars Program, the Paul and Carole Stark Medical Neuroscience Fellowship, and the Larry Kays Fellowship. He served as a founding-board member of IUSM’s chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and completed a two year term in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society’s NSF-funded ‘Lighting the Pathway to Faculty Careers for Natives in STEM’ program.

Student Intern

University of Notre Dame: Multicultural Student Programs and Services

Aug 2015 – May 2018 South Bend, IN

While at the University of Notre Dame, Dom worked part-time for the Office of Multicultural Student Programs and Services (MSPS). As an intern for 6 semesters, Dom worked as an intern for the office for 10 hours per week. His responsibilities included working the reception desk, helping organize student activities, and maintaining connections with several Notre Dame Alumni Groups (Black Alumni, Native American Alumni, AAPI Alumni, Hispanic Alumni). Dom also helped facilitate events for the Building Bridges Mentorship Program, an initiative of MSPS aimed at serving underrepresented students wanting to get involved in undergraduate research. His time at MSPS was his first experience with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work and inspired him to want to be a role model for other Indigenous students pursuing careers in academia.

Research Assistant

University of Notre Dame: Giles Duffield Laboratory

Aug 2014 – May 2018 South Bend, IN

Previously, Dom graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience & Behavior. His work in the laboratory of Giles Duffield and in collaboration with the University’s Environmental Research Centers (Upper Peninsula, MI & Nation Bison Range, MT) investigated the physiological factors that effect rhythmic behaviors. Studying circadian and seasonal rhythms in Anopheles gambiae and Peromyscus maniculatus allowed him to gain an appreciation for how genetics and environmental effects can drive behaviors that ultimately affect human health.