Rodrigo Campos-Cardoso, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neurobiology. He joined UAB after completing his Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto.

The Department of Neurobiology is excited to highlight the work of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the field of neuroscience.

Four students from the College of Arts and Sciences—three from the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program and one from the Undergraduate Immunology Program—have been nominated for the prestigious Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

November 2024 marked 20 years since the establishment of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute (EMBI) at UAB. The institute was made possible by a generous gift from the McKnight Brain Research Foundation (MBRF), matched by the university, to support research in cognitive aging and age-related memory loss. Ronald Lazar, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurology, has been director of the institute since 2017.

National Epilepsy Awareness Month is observed throughout the month of November, providing support, awareness, and education to promote understanding and improve the lives of those effected by epilepsy. At UAB, the Epilepsy Center, located within Civitan International Research Center, offers clinical, research, and educational services to patients with epilepsy.

A study led by Alecia K. Gross, Ph.D., professor and vice chair for Research and Research Infrastructure in the Department of Neurobiology, was published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Journal for the paper “NUDC is critical for rod photoreceptor function, maintenance, and survival.”

Training grants are an essential component of fostering research, education, and professional development for scientific pathways. They help support students through career development, collaboration and specialized training. The UAB Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program is a NIH T34 training program for students pursing a Ph.D. in biomedical research. 

The Society of Neuroscience (SfN) is the world’s largest scientific organization dedicated to advancing the understanding of the brain and nervous system.

Graduate Biomedical Sciences (GBS) at UAB recently welcomed its new class of GBS students pursuing their Ph.D. across eight interdisciplinary training themes. The GBS Doctoral Training Program provides interdisciplinary education and mentorship while allowing GBS trainees to perform doctoral research in more than 350 labs across campus.

Camerron Crowder, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Neurobiology and assistant director of the Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute (PMI), offers a unique research opportunity for undergraduate students by teaching the PMI research process, how to develop animal models, and the use of artificial intelligence to identify treatment options through courses in the Undergraduate Neuroscience Program.

Kirstie Cummings, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology, was recently honored with the Heersink School of Medicine's Featured Discovery Award. She was recognized alongside Zephyr R. Desa, a UAB neuroscience Ph.D. student, and Rodrigo Campos-Cardoso, Ph.D., a UAB postdoc, the study’s first authors. The initiative highlights significant research contributions from Heersink faculty members.

Lara Ianov, Ph.D., assistant professor and managing director of UAB's Biological Data Science Core (U-BDS), is playing a crucial role in pushing the boundaries of research at UAB.

The Department of Neurobiology invites the UAB community to attend the inaugural Robin Lester Memorial Lecture on Sept. 26 to hear a presentation from special guest David Linden, Ph.D., professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Heersink School of Medicine introduced four new research focus areas in 2022. Of these focus areas, Brain Health and Disease Across the Lifespan aims to improve understanding of brain development, aging, health, and disease.

Cristin Gavin, Ph.D., serves as associate dean for undergraduate biomedical programs for the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. In this role, she has fostered thriving opportunities for UAB students, many of whom matriculate into medical schools, through the programs she oversees.

Blazer BRAIN is an eight-week undergraduate summer program that offers students an opportunity to conduct research and participate in an intensive professional development program as they work towards earning their Ph.D. in neuroscience.

Research in Focus is a series that highlights Neurobiology faculty members’ papers in peer-reviewed journals.

The Department of Neurobiology is hosting two yearlong seminar series designed to foster community and advance knowledge within the field.

The Department of Neurobiology is excited to launch a new series that will highlight faculty members’ papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Cassandra Newsom, Psy.D., director of the Translational Research Core in Autism and Neurodevelopment of Civitan International Research Center, has completed participation in Phase 2 Clinical Trials of a new drug, NNZ-2591, that shows promising results for a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder called Pitt-Hopkins Syndrome (PTHS).