Joseph Gindhart, Ph.D.

Joseph Gindhart, Ph.D., joined NICHD in 2023 as the DEA deputy director and OEP director to help develop and interpret NIH grant policies, implement best practices for internal processes, and administer and improve communications about NICHD’s extramural funding programs.

Prior to joining NICHD, Dr. Gindhart was chief of the Cell Biology Branch in the Division of Genetics and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). There, he managed a portfolio of cell biology research grants and Medical Scientist Training Program grants and served as scientific lead and moderator of Cell Day, an interactive activity for middle and high school students focused on the cell and careers in cellular research. He also served on the 2016-2020 NIGMS Strategic Plan Committee and the NIGMS Research Diversity Outreach Committee. In addition, Dr. Gindhart participated in several NIH-wide efforts, including the Early Stage Investigator Extension Committee, the Program Leadership Committee, and the Single Cell Analysis Common Fund Program.

Dr. Gindhart taught genetics, cell biology, and bioinformatics at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the University of Richmond, before coming to NIH. He also led a National Science Foundation-funded research program on the attachment of the microtubule motor kinesin-1 to its intracellular cargos.

Dr. Gindhart received a B.A. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in genetics from Indiana University. His thesis research focused on the regulation of homeotic gene expression during Drosophila melanogaster development. Dr. Gindhart also completed postdoctoral research at Harvard University and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.