About Us

Meet the PI

Denise Marciano, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Internal Medicine | Cell Biology
Graduate Programs: Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Development and Disease

Dr. Marciano studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive kidney development and regeneration in health and disease. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, her Ph.D. in cellular biophysics at The Rockefeller University and her medical degree at Weill Cornell University Medical College. She completed her medical training in internal medicine and nephrology at the University of California San Francisco, where she also completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the laboratory of Louis F. Reichardt. In 2011, she joined UT Southwestern, where she melds her scientific and clinical interests in kidney biology and disease. Her lab is funded by several grants from the NIH. In 2019, she was awarded the Carolyn R. Bacon Distinguished Professorship in Medical Sciences and Education.

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Our Lab Environment

The Marciano lab focuses on rigorous and novel research with an emphasis on collaboration within the lab. While each person has their own project, lab members are willing to help teach and troubleshoot experimental techniques and data analyses for others. Similarly, our weekly lab meetings are a dynamic forum for collective feedback on conceptual and technical challenges. In addition to scheduled meetings with lab members, Dr. Marciano has an open-door policy, encouraging lab members to feel comfortable going to her to discuss questions or to bounce around ideas about their research. By choosing to work as a team, the lab maintains an efficient workflow and welcoming environment.