Dr. Sonya Bierbower, Ph.D.

Dr. Sonya M. Bierbower is an associate professor in the Department of Chemical & Biological Science & Engineering at the United States Military Academy. 

She graduated with a B.S. in biology from the University of Georgia (UGA), and as an undergraduate, she was involved in research areas of motor task learning behavior in capuchin monkeys and protein purification in nitrogen-fixing bacteria. 

After graduating with honors from UGA, Dr. Bierbower completed a master’s degree with highest distinction from DePaul University. Her research focused on the pathophysiology of parasite/host relationships and the role of parasite manipulation of neuromodulators. She then earned her Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, with doctoral research focused on environmental and physiological effects on neuronal synaptic transmission and neural circuitry. 

Following her doctorate, Dr. Bierbower was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Her research studied the augmentation of the KCNQ potassium channel in a stroke-induced brain injury and a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a vertebrate model. While at UTHSCSA, Dr. Bierbower was awarded a NIH T32 and NRSA F32 postdoctoral research fellowships. 

Following her fellowships, Dr. Bierbower accepted a faculty position at William Paterson University (WPU) in Wayne, New Jersey. As a tenured professor at WPU, she had an active undergraduate and graduate research program focused on traumatic brain injuries, excitotoxicity, and cannabinoid receptors' role as a therapeutic approach to injury. 

In 2022, she accepted the position at USMA and is active in research focused on understanding the microbiome, immune response, synaptic transmission, and neural circuitry using invertebrate models.