Dr. Edward Stuenkel

Dr. Edward Stuenkel

Executive Director of QBRI

Email

estuenkel@hbku.edu.qa

Office location

41944

Dr. Edward Stuenkel

Executive Director of QBRI

Educational Qualifications

PhD in Zoology (Neuroscience)

M.S. in Biological Sciences

Entity

Qatar Biomedical Research Institute

Biography

Dr. Edward L. Stuenkel is the Executive Director of the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He previously served as the founding Dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences at HBKU and is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan. Throughout his career, Dr. Stuenkel has held numerous academic leadership roles, including Director of the University of Michigan's Neuroscience Graduate Program. His research has focused on the molecular mechanisms regulating neurotransmitter and neurohormone secretion, integrating electrophysiological, optical, and molecular approaches. He has authored more than 87 peer-reviewed publications, mentored undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers, and has served on numerous national and international scientific committees. In recognition of his contributions to neuroscience and biomedical research, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 

PhD in Zoology (Neuroscience)

University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States

1983

M.S. in Biological Sciences

University of Nevada, United States

1978

B.S. in Biological Sciences

South Dakota State University, United States

1976

  • Understand the mechanisms that regulate cellular secretion of hormones and/or neurotransmitters in physiological and pathophysiological circumstances.
  • Develop a functional mechanistic map of different forms of synaptic plasticity to enable the understanding of cognition and promote effective development of therapeutics that address the myriad mental health or neuropathological conditions.
  • Apply advanced neuro-engineering approaches in living behaving animals to enable delineation and control of stress conditions that underlie pathological actions during chronic illness.

Executive Director

Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

2026 - Present

Professor Emeritus

Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan

2021 - Present

Founding Dean

College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University

2018 - 2021

Director

Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan

2012 - 2018

Professor

Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan

2002 - 2021

Associate Professor

Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan

1996 - 2002

Assistant Professor

Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan

1990 - 1996

Arias-Hervert, E. R., Xu, N., Njus, M., Murphy, G. G., Hou, Y., Williams, J. A., Lentz, S. I., Ernst, S. A., & Stuenkel, E. L. (2020). Actions of Rab27B-GTPase on mammalian central excitatory synaptic transmission. Physiological reports, 8(9), e14428.

Saldate, J. J., Shiau, J., Cazares, V. A., & Stuenkel, E. L. (2018). The ubiquitin-proteasome system functionally links neuronal Tomosyn-1 to dendritic morphology. The Journal of biological chemistry, 293(7), 2232–2246.

Henry, F. E., Wang, X., Serrano, D., Perez, A. S., Carruthers, C. J. L., Stuenkel, E. L., & Sutton, M. A. (2018). A Unique Homeostatic Signaling Pathway Links Synaptic Inactivity to Postsynaptic mTORC1. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 38(9), 2207–2225. 

Cazares, V. A., Njus, M. M., Manly, A., Saldate, J. J., Subramani, A., Ben-Simon, Y., Sutton, M. A., Ashery, U., & Stuenkel, E. L. (2016). Dynamic Partitioning of Synaptic Vesicle Pools by the SNARE-Binding Protein Tomosyn. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 36(44), 11208–11222. 

Lam, A. D., Tryoen-Toth, P., Tsai, B., Vitale, N., & Stuenkel, E. L. (2008). SNARE-catalyzed fusion events are regulated by Syntaxin1A-lipid interactions. Molecular biology of the cell, 19(2), 485–497. 

  • 2015: Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 2011: Outstanding Faculty Service Award, University of Michigan Neuroscience Graduate Program