Kübra Gülmez Karaca

Dr. Kübra Gülmez Karaca is an Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator at the Brain Center, UMC Utrecht. Her research investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of memory formation, stability, and relapse, with a focus on how stress or neuromodulatory systems shape engram dynamics and memory specificity.

She obtained her PhD in Neuroscience at Heidelberg University (summa cum laude), where she studied the role of DNA methylation in cognitive function and aging. She then pursued postdoctoral training at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (Radboudumc) and studied emotional arousal effects on long-term regulation of episodic memory specificity. She obtained the prestigious Veni fellowship from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to examine the synaptic representations of memories in the brain. Since 2025, she leads her independent research line at UMC Utrecht.

Dr. Gülmez Karaca is also dedicated to teaching and mentoring. She supervises MSc and PhD students and lectures on animal models, systems neuroscience, and viral-mediated approaches in neuroimaging. Beyond the academic setting, she contributes to science outreach and has organized national and international neuroscience events and student competitions. She is also a mother of two, balancing her scientific career with family life.

Her lab continues to explore the fundamental mechanisms that regulate memory quality over time, with implications for understanding psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.