About

Chrystal Starbird completed her undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and spent several years working in both academic and industry laboratories before returning to UNC to complete a year-long PREP program. She then pursued graduate studies in chemical and physical biology at Vanderbilt University. Following her Ph.D., Dr. Starbird conducted postdoctoral research as a MOSAIC K99/R00 postdoctoral fellow in the Cancer Biology Center at Yale University. She currently holds a faculty position in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UNC Chapel Hill. Dr. Starbird is recognized as a non-traditional student and is a strong advocate for mentoring, regularly publishing on strategies to maximize mentoring impact and fostering a safe, welcoming laboratory environment. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time with her family exploring waterfalls.

Research topics

• Sociology
• Political Science
• Social Science
• Psychology
• Gender studies
• Public relations
• Environmental ethics
• Business
• Medical education
• Medicine
• Engineering ethics
• Biology

Selected publications

• BPS2026 – Discovering the structural basis of activation in the TAM receptor subfamily

  Biophysical Journal · 2026-02-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• BPS2026 – Identifying the TAM receptor tyrosine kinase involved in non-enveloped virus infection

  Biophysical Journal · 2026-02-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• BPS2026 – Defining the structural basis of TAM receptor-ligand-lipid interactions

  Biophysical Journal · 2026-02-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• BPS2026 – Investigating the impact of Alzheimer’s disease-relevant genetic variants of ABCA7 transport proteins

  Biophysical Journal · 2026-02-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• BPS2026 – Elucidating the interaction of apolipoproteins with ABCA7 in neurodegenerative diseases

  Biophysical Journal · 2026-02-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• TAM receptor tyrosine kinases as potential mediators of the non-lytic spread of non-enveloped viruses

  Biochemical Society Transactions · 2026-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Tyro3, Axl, and Mer are receptor tyrosine kinases that comprise the TAM receptor family. These receptors, originally identified as orphan receptors, do not bind growth factors but rather ligands that can facilitate processes such as phagocytosis and dampening the innate inflammatory immune response. Enveloped viruses can hijack TAM receptors for viral entry through the fairly well-established mechanism of apoptotic mimicry. This mechanism involves 'tricking' the targeted host cell into endocytosing the virus through binding to exposed phosphatidylserine in the viral lipid bilayer envelope. While enveloped viruses utilize apoptotic mimicry for entry, it remains unclear how non-enveloped viruses enter the host cell through phosphatidylserine receptors such as TAM receptors. There is evidence that non-enveloped viruses can usurp host cell signaling pathways to cloak their particles in membranes, creating 'quasi-enveloped' viruses that enter the host through a sort of 'faux apoptotic mimicry.' These quasi-enveloped viruses can spread through non-lytic mechanisms to evade the host immune response and deliver virus particles to the targeted host cell. With the present review, we evaluate increasing evidence that TAM receptors may play a role in this process through their ability to indiscriminately bind phosphatidylserine in membranes, leading to the internalization of non-enveloped viruses packaged within phosphatidylserine-enriched extracellular vesicles.

  PublisherDOI

• Juneteenth in STEMM and the barriers to equitable science

  UNC Libraries · 2025-03-19

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Special considerations for the use of AI tools by PEERs as a learning and communication aid

  UNC Libraries · 2025-06-25

  articleOpen access

  There is no doubt that navigating academia is a formidable challenge, particularly for those from underrepresented backgrounds who face additional barriers at every turn. In such an environment, efforts to create learning and training environments that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive can feel like an uphill battle. We believe that harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help in leveling the playing field. While AI cannot supplant the need for supportive mentorship, it can serve as a vital supplement, offering guidance and assistance to those who may lack access to adequate avenues of support. Embracing AI in this context should not be stigmatized, as it may represent a vital lifeline for underrepresented individuals who often face systemic biases while forging their own paths in pursuit of success and belonging in academia. AI tools should not be gatekept from these individuals, particularly by those in positions of power and privilege within the scientific community. Instead, we argue, institutions should make a strong commitment to educating their community members on how to ethically harness these tools.

  PublisherDOI

• Insights from an early career faculty on peer review

  Structural Dynamics · 2025-09-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This session will share insights from an early career faculty into their experiences with peer review in both industry and academia, and to how their participation in peer review has grown as their career progressed. The speaker will share an overview of their experience in peer review as a trainee and how this experience has changed as they transitioned into their faculty career, going from joint peer review to joining editorial advisory boards . Topics covered will include how to find opportunities, ways to expand your network for peer review, how to establish yourself as a reliable peer reviewer, and how to leverage your network to pitch ideas to editors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Investigating the roles of oligomerization and lipid interaction in TAM receptor activation

  Biophysical Journal · 2024-02-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• T.M. Iverson

  8 shared

• Elena Maklashina

  San Francisco VA Health Care System

  7 shared

• Gary Cecchini

  San Francisco VA Health Care System

  6 shared

• Antentor Hinton

  Vanderbilt University

  6 shared

• Aileen I. Fernandez

  4 shared

• Kafui Dzirasa

  Duke University Hospital

  4 shared

• Steven E. Stayrook

  Yale Cancer Center

  4 shared

• Christina M. Termini

  Fred Hutch Cancer Center

  4 shared

Labs

• The Starbird LabPI

Awards & honors

• K99/R00 Career Transition Award from the National Institute…
• Distinguished Service Award, Yale University, 2022
• Juneteenth Best Peer to Peer Mentor Postdoctoral Award, Vand…
• Rising Black Scientist Award from Cell Press, 2021
• Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Nationa…