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Feng Gu

Assistant Professor

University of North Texas

Department of Biological Sciences

Email: feng.gu@unt.edu

Education

  • PhD, University of Houston, 2013
    Major: Biology
  • MS, Central South University Xiang-Ya School of Medicine, 2006
    Major: Neurology

Professional Positions

    Professional

  • Assistant professor, University of North Texas. University of North Texas. (2023 - Present).
  • Postdoctoral fellow and research scientist, Stanford University. Stanford University. (2013 - 2023).

Professional Memberships

  • American Epilepsy Society. (May 10, 2025 - Present).
  • Society for Neuroscience. (January 1, 2024 - Present).

Development Activities

  • Seminar, BioFrontier Seminar Series, University of North Texas. United States of America. (January 13, 2025 - December 15, 2025).
  • Workshop, Fall Faculty Grant Writing Workshop, University of North Texas. United States of America. (December 10, 2025 - December 10, 2025).
  • Workshop, Developing Effective Specific Aims and Concept Papers, University of North Texas. United States of America. (December 2, 2025 - December 2, 2025).
  • Conference Attendance, Society for Neuroscience 2025, Society for Neuroscience. San Diego,United States of America. (November 15, 2025 - November 19, 2025).
  • Conference Attendance, Texas Epilepsy Research Alliance meeting, University of Texas at San Antonio. United States of America. (May 2, 2025 - May 3, 2025).
  • Seminar, BioFrontier Seminar Series, Department of Biological Sciences. United States of America. (January 2024 - December 2024).
  • Workshop, 2024 Faculty Grantsmanship Workshop, The Division of Research and Innovation. United States of America. (December 10, 2024 - December 10, 2024).
  • Workshop, NSF BIO/IOS Postdoc to PI webinar, National Science Foundation. United States of America. (November 20, 2024 - November 20, 2024).
  • Other, CENG-COS Junior Faculty Meeting, College of Science, College of Engineering. United States of America. (November 19, 2024 - November 19, 2024).
  • Conference Attendance, Society For Neuroscience Annual Meeting 2024, Society for Neuroscience. United States of America. (November 15, 2024 - November 19, 2024).
  • Other, CENG-COS Junior Faculty Meeting, College of Science, College of Engineering. United States of America. (November 13, 2024 - November 13, 2024).
  • Workshop, Introductory STEM Majors Course Instructor Workshop, College of Science. United States of America. (August 12, 2024 - August 12, 2024).
  • Workshop, Fall 2023 Faculty Grantsmanship Workshop, The Division of Research and Innovation at UNT. United States of America. (December 13, 2023 - December 13, 2023).
  • Other (Lunch meeting), Reflections on the Fall Semester: What would you like to change the next time you teach, College of Science at UNT. United States of America. (December 8, 2023 - December 8, 2023).
  • Workshop, NIH PANEL SESSION " Navigating the NIH Extramural Research Landscape", University of North Texas Health Science Center. United States of America. (November 17, 2023 - November 17, 2023).
  • Seminar, Plasticity-Informed Therapeutics: Recent Progress and Advances, The Department of Behavior Analysis at UNT. United States of America. (November 3, 2023 - November 3, 2023).
  • Workshop, COS Teaching Workshop on Course Respone/Clickers, College of Science at UNT. United States of America. (August 15, 2023 - August 15, 2023).
  • Conference Attendance, HSC Preclinical Imaging Symposium, University of North Texas Health Science Center. United States of America. (March 17, 2023 - March 17, 2023).

Teaching

Teaching Experience

    University of North Texas

  • BIOL 1720 - Biology for Science Majors II, 5 courses.
  • BIOL 1722 - Honors Biology for Science Majors II, 1 course.
  • BIOL 3800 - Animal Physiology, 3 courses.
  • BIOL 3996 - Honors College Mentored Research Experience, 1 course.
  • BIOL 4900 - Special Problems, 4 courses.
  • BIOL 6900 - Special Problems, 3 courses.
  • BIOL 6940 - Individual Research, 7 courses.

Non-Credit Instruction

  • Guest Lecture, University of Texas at San Antonio, (May 2, 2025 - May 3, 2025).
  • Seminar, Binzhou Medical University, 30 participants. (June 2024 - June 2024).
  • Seminar, Texas Woman's University, 60 participants. (November 17, 2023 - November 17, 2023).
  • Seminar, University of North Texas, 50 participants. (April 21, 2023 - April 21, 2023).
  • Seminar, Oklahoma State University, 30 participants. (May 2022 - May 2022).
  • Seminar, Stanford University, 30 participants. (June 2021 - June 2021).

Directed Student Learning

  • Supervised Research, "Contribution of astrocytes to thalamic damage following cortical injury," Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. (November 7, 2025).
  • Directed Individual/Independent Study, Biological Sciences. (October 1, 2025).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (December 2024).
  • Dissertation Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (November 2024).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (October 2024).
  • Dissertation Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (September 2024).
  • Dissertation Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (January 19, 2024).
  • Dissertation Committee Chair, Biological Sciences. (January 16, 2024).
  • Directed Individual/Independent Study, Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. (August 29, 2023).
  • Major Professor, Biological Sciences. (January 16, 2014).
  • Honors Contract, Biological Sciences. (August 20, 2025 - December 15, 2025).
  • Directed Individual/Independent Study, Biological Sciences. (January 30, 2023 - May 20, 2025).
  • Directed Individual/Independent Study, Biological Sciences. (June 20, 2023 - December 20, 2023).
  • Master's Thesis Committee Member, Biological Sciences. (August 17, 2023 - November 3, 2023).

Research

Published Intellectual Contributions

    Abstracts and Proceedings

  • Delgado, A., Yasmine, S., Gu, F. (2025). Contribution of astrocytes to thalamic damage following cortical traumatic brain injury (Society for Neuroscience 2025 Meeting).
  • Delgado, A., Yasmine, S., Gu, F. (2025). The role of astrocytes in the secondary thalamic pathology following cortical injury (presented at UNT research day).
  • Parada, I., Yang, T., Delgado, A., Longo, F., Prince, D., Gu, F. (2024). A small molecule TrkB receptor agonist reduces thalamic damage following cortical ischemic stroke. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting 2024.

    • Book Chapter

  • Prince, D., Gu, F. (2024). Prohylaxis of epileptogenesis in injury and genetic epilepsy models. Jasper's Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies. 5th edition.

    • Manuscript

  • Shu, H., Parada, I., Delgado, A., Prince, D., Gu, F. (2024). Increased excitatory connectivity and epileptogenesis in thrombospondin 1/2 knockout mice following cortical trauma. Neurobiology of Disease.
  • Bagley, J., Tan, Y., Zhu, W., Cheng, Z., Takeda, S., Fang, Z., Arslan, A., Gu, F., Jentsch, D., Prince, D., Peltz, G. (2023). Neuron Navigator 1 (Nav1) regulates the response to cocaine in mice. Communications Biology.
  • Gu, F., Parada, I., Yang, T., Longo, F., Prince, D. (2022). Chronic partial TrkB activation reduces seizures and mortality in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

    • Poster

  • Atkins, H., Bommineni, R., Bommineni, R., Delgado, A., Nguyen, M., Yasmine, S., You, Y., Li, L., Gu, F. (2024). Study of febrile seizures in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome. CENG-COS meeting 2024.

Presentations Given

    Invited Talk

  • Gu, F. (Presenter), Texas Epilepsy Research Alliance meeting, Astrocytic regulation of excitatory connectivity and post-traumatic epileptogenesis, University of Texas at San Antonio, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Gu, F. (Presenter), Strategies for Epilepsy Prophylaxis in Animal Models, Binzhou Medical University, China, China. (2024 - 2024).
  • Gu, F. (Author & Presenter), Department Seminar, Targeting interneurons to control epileptogenesis in post-traumatic epilepsy and Dravet Syndrome, Texas Woman's University, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
  • Gu, F. (Author & Presenter), BioFrontier Department seminar, Control of epileptogenesis: rebalancing inhibition and excitation, UNT, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).

    • Poster

  • Delgado, A. (Author), Yasmine, S. (Author), Gu, F. (Author & Presenter), Society for Neuroscience 2025, Contribution of astrocytes to thalamic damage following cortical traumatic brain injury, Society for Neuroscience, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Delgado, A. (Author & Presenter), Yasmine, S. (Author), Gu, F. (Author & Presenter), University Research Day, The role of astrocytes in secondary thalamic pathology following cortical traumatic injury, University of North Texas, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Gu, F. (Author & Presenter), Society for Neuroscience 2024, A small molecule TrkB receptor agonist reduces thalamic damage following cortical ischemic stroke, Society for Neuroscience, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).

Contracts, Grants, Sponsored Research

    Grant - Research

  • Root, D.D. (Principal), Bernardino, A. (Supporting), Ayre, B.G. (Supporting), McGarry, R.C. (Supporting), Shah, J. (Supporting), Dzialowski, E.M. (Supporting), Gu, F. (Supporting), Macias, V.M. (Supporting), Burleson, M. (Supporting), "COS 2025 Equipment Grant Program," sponsored by College of Science, Local, $78500 Funded. (2025).
  • Gu, F. (Principal), "Impact of TrkB receptor activation on parvalbumin-positive interneurons, epileptiform activity, and cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's," sponsored by NIH, Federal, $594000 Funded. (2024).
  • Bautista, G.M. (Principal), Burggren, W. (Co-Principal), Crossley, D. (Co-Principal), Gu, F. (Co-Principal), "Cardiorespiratory and Neurological Responses of Dravet Syndrome Mice during Seizures Triggered by Enviornmental Stressors," sponsored by AERI at UNT, Local, $10000 Funded. (2024 - 2024).
  • Gu, F. (Principal), "COS/CENG seed grant," sponsored by University of North Texas, University of North Texas, $10000 Funded. (2023 - 2024).

Service

University Service

  • Committee Member, Master's student Yahya Mobarki's thesis committee. (December 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, PhD student Karthika Murugesan's dissertation committee. (December 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Faculty Search Committee_Cancer Biology. (October 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Master's student Alana Blackmore's thesis committee. (October 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, PhD student Jolene Dunbar's dissertation committee. (September 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, PHD student Willie Barron's Dissertation committee. (January 29, 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Chair, PHD student Alex Delgado's Dissertation committee. (January 16, 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Chair, PHD student Suraya Yasmine's Dissertation committee. (January 16, 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Graduate study committee. (November 2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Faculty search Committee. (August 2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Faculty Search committee. (August 2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, The committee on the Status of Faculty of Color. (October 2023 - September 2024).
  • Committee Member, Master student's Thesis committee. (August 2023 - November 2023).

Professional Service

  • Editor, Guest Editor, Frontiers in Neurology. (October 1, 2025 - Present).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of clinical investigation. (March 2020 - Present).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Cells. (February 2020 - Present).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Brain Sciences. (September 2019 - Present).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Biomedicine. (July 2019 - Present).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Neuroscience letters. (May 2019 - Present).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Molecular Neurobiology. (March 2019 - Present).
  • Guest Speaker, Texas Woman's University. (November 2023 - November 2023).