Dr. Melanie Barzik earned a B.S. and an M.S. in biology from the University of Osnabrück, Germany, followed by a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Braunschweig. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by a research fellowship at the National Lung, Heart, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), focusing on neuronal development research.
In 2014, Dr. Barzik joined NIDCD as a staff scientist in the Laboratory of Hearing Biology and Therapeutics, where she developed therapies to safeguard the hearing of patients undergoing treatment with ototoxic medications.
Dr. Barzik's role transitioned to the NIDCD Division of Intramural Research (DIR) training program in 2024. She currently serves as Deputy Training Director.
Dr. Barzik has participated in nearly 20 institute and NIH-wide committees and plays an integral role on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) committees. She chairs the NIDCD Postbaccalaureate Recruiting Initiative, for which she received the NIH Director's Award in 2022.
Ph.D., University of Braunschweig, Germany