Rachel Branco
Associate Teaching Professor
- Office
- 229C Jordan Hall Of Science
Notre Dame, IN 46556 - rbranco@nd.edu
Prospective Graduate Students
Biography
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2026-present | Interim Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Neuroscience & Behavior Program, University of Notre Dame |
| 2024-present | Associate Teaching Professor, University of Notre Dame |
| 2018-2024 | Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Notre Dame |
| 2018 | Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Emory University |
| 2013 | M.S. in Neuropsychology, University of Maastricht |
| 2012 | B.S. in Neuroscience, Baylor University |
Selected Awards
2025 Dockweiler Award for Excellence in Advising
2013-2018 Emory Woodruff Fellowship
2012-2013 Fulbright Fellowship
2012 Senior Outstanding Student in Neuroscience, Baylor University
Research Interests
Dr. Rachel Branco is passionate about researching and implementing practical classroom strategies that empower instructors to improve student learning in higher education. She is particularly interested in strategies related to assessment, active learning, and classroom management that work at scale in large classes. With a doctoral background in neuroscience, Rachel's work has examined how environmental chemicals influence the nervous system from biochemistry and behavior. She brings this expertise to her courses Principles of Biochemistry, Molecular Neuroscience, Neuropharmacology, and Environmental Exposures and the Nervous System. Additionally, she oversees summer study abroad programming for the Neuroscience and Behavior major, fostering global perspectives in scientific education.
Selected Publications
- Branco, R. C. "Implementation Guide for Two-Stage Exams" 2024 Notre Dame Learning
- *Arruebarrena, M. A.; *Hawe, C. T.; *Lee, Y. M. and Branco, R. C. "Mechanisms of Cadmium Neurotoxicity" 2023 International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24 (23), 16558. DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316558. *Undergraduate authors' research developed from course-work
- Branco, R. C. and Chan, V. M. "Cross-course harmonized assignments in neuroscience" 2023 Journal of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education, 21 (2), A85-A90. DOI:10.59390/BOTF3129.
- *Baker, E. S.; *Moon, K. J. and Branco, R. C. "Chlorpyrifos: Who Paid and Who Profited?" 2024 Environmental Justice, 17 (1), pp.79-84. DOI: 10.1089/env.2022.0074. *Undergraduate authors' research developed from course-work
- Curtis, M. A.; Dhamsania, R. K.; Branco, R. C.; Guo, J. D.; Creeden, J.; Neifer, K. L.; Black, C. A.; Winokur, E. J.; Andari, E.; Dias, B. G.; Liu, R. C.; Gourley, S. L.; Miller, G. W. and Burkett, J. P. "Developmental Pyrethroid Exposure Causes a Neurodevelopmental Disorder Phenotype in Mice" 2023 PNAS Nexus, 2 (4). DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad085.
- Branco, R. C.; Goodson, H. V. and Jonasson, E. M. "Teaching Protein-Ligand Interactions using a Case Study on Tau in Alzheimer's Disease" 2022 Journal of Chemical Education, 99 (8), pp.3064-3067. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00280.