Judy Liu, M.D., Ph.D.

Joined UT Southwestern: 2025

Judy Liu, M.D., Ph.D., is the Co-Section Head of Epilepsy

Research: Nationally recognized for her research, Dr. Liu studies both common causes of epilepsy and rare genetic disorders. Her work explores how widespread changes in gene expression and metabolism disrupt neural circuits, resulting in seizures. She collaborates closely with family advocacy organizations, with a particular focus on SLC13A5 epilepsy and ASH1L-related neurodevelopmental disorders. In addition to laboratory modeling, she conducts clinical phenotyping studies to better define the spectrum of rare diseases.

Trainee Education: Dr. Liu is widely recognized for her professional service and mentorship. She serves as the 2025 Chair of the Scientific Program Committee for the American Epilepsy Society and was the Principal Investigator of an NINDS UE5 (formerly R25) training grant that supports the development of future basic and clinical neuroscientists.

Background: Dr. Liu earned her medical degree and Ph.D. at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, completed a neurology residency at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and gained advanced training through a postdoctoral fellowship in neural development at Harvard Medical School. She began her faculty career at Children’s National Medical Center, then moved to Brown University in 2017, where she served as associate director of the Center for Translational Neuroscience and held the Sidney A. Fox and Dorothea Doctors Fox Associate Professorship of Ophthalmology and Visual Science.