Rate My Professor Hillary McGraw

Hillary McGraw is an Associate Professor in the School of Science and Engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, within the Division of Biological and Biomedical Systems. She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Washington in 2009 and her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Oregon in 1996. Before joining UMKC as an Assistant Professor around 2018, she worked at Oregon Health & Science University in the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Cancer Biology, contributing to studies on sensory axon outgrowth in zebrafish. She was promoted to Associate Professor, as recognized in UMKC's promotion and tenure honorees list.

McGraw's research centers on developmental biology and neurobiology, using zebrafish as a model organism due to their optical transparency and suitability for live imaging. Her lab investigates the molecular and cellular basis of embryonic development, including how sensory systems emerge in the embryo, collective cell migration essential for organogenesis and dysregulated in cancers, regeneration of cells following damage, mechanosensory hair cells, and lipid transfer protein functions. Key publications include "Retrograde Ret signaling controls sensory pioneer axon outgrowth" (eLife, 2019), "Members of the vertebrate contactin and amyloid precursor protein families interact through a conserved interface" (2021), "Lateral Line Regeneration: Comparative and Mechanistic Perspectives" (2020 chapter), "Ear and Lateral Line of Vertebrates: Organisation and Development" (2013 chapter), and a correction to the 2019 eLife paper (2025). She has presented seminars such as on Wnt signaling at Kansas State University (2024) and Biology Colloquium at University of Wisconsin. McGraw received the Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research in 2025 (shared with Kelsey Gardiner) and recognition in UMKC Outstanding Faculty Achievements 2025 for engagement. She serves on the Advisory Board for UMKC's Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship, mentoring students whose work has been featured at state capitol symposia.