Dear Neurobiology & Behavior Community,
This June newsletter is rather special with regard to Faculty promotions. In academia, one of the most important decisions Faculty make about other Faculty is the Tenure decision. It is a monumental decision as it affects the life and career of the individual Faculty member, and it also affects everything the Department/School/University does with regard to the research and teaching missions because that Faculty member will be key to the success of everything in the present and future. The other important decision Faculty make about other Faculty is promotion to Full Professor. This is when a Faculty member has become nationally and internationally recognized for their research or teaching program (depending on whether they are research Faculty or teaching Faculty). And lastly, there is the advancement to Above Scale, which is when a Faculty member continues to demonstrate exceptional contributions to research, teaching and service and has literally gone above the individual steps that characterize the Full Professor scale. In the Department of Neurobiology & Behavior we recently went through a unique period of time in which we had three Faculty be promoted to Associate Professors with Tenure, one Faculty member be promoted to Full Professor, and one Faculty member advanced to Above Scale. These Faculty are:
- Liz Chrastil, promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure!
- Gyuri Lur, promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure!
- Vivek Swarup, promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure!
- Christie Fowler, promoted to Full Professor!
- Frank LaFerla, advanced to Above Scale!
All of these promotions and advancements are exciting and I couldn’t be more proud of these Faculty!! They are all exceptional colleagues and researchers who continuously push the boundaries of our knowledge in neuroscience, educate and mentor the rising students and scientists in their courses and labs, and provide exceptional service to their fields of research, the department, the campus, and beyond. Please join me in congratulating them!!!! A heartfelt thank you for all you do Liz, Gyuri, Vivek, Christie, and Frank!!!!
Warm Regards,
Marcelo A. Wood, Ph.D.
Chair of Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
UCI School of Biological Sciences
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NBB NeuroPost Newsletter
If you missed prior newsletters, no worries! You can now find it on our website! LEARN MORE |
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Dr. Marcelo Wood has been reappointed as Chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. Professor Wood has served as chair since January 2014 and has been instrumental in the continued success of the department. Under Dr. Wood’s leadership, the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior has achieved numerous milestones with research, teaching and department culture. The department has added new faculty, restructured undergraduate majors, increased engagement with graduate students and achieved an exceptional reputation for collegiality and harmony. Dr. Wood’s strength in building a strong strategic plan, hiring highly successful and productive faculty, supporting and mentoring junior faculty, and his approachable and responsive nature has earned him unanimous support from faculty and staff. Congratulations! |
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Dr. Frank LaFerla has been reappointed to an additional five-year term as Dean of the School of Biological Sciences, beginning July 1st. Dean LaFerla is praised for his vision for the School, recruitment and retention of diverse faculty and students, and growth in both extramural research funding and philanthropic giving. The School continues to offer in-demand programs for undergraduate and graduate students looking to make a difference in the life sciences and the medical fields. During Dean LaFerla's tenure, the School implemented an initiative to increase local and national prominence and enhance student recruitment. These efforts helped improve the School's national ranking to its best level ever while increasing student enrollment and retention rates in the major. In addition to his role as dean, he is the director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and co-director of the UCI Model Organism Development and |
| Evaluation for Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (MODEL-AD) group, which have both reached new heights in funding and research, bringing in a combined total of $12 million annually. Congratulations! |
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Dr. Joshua Grill, Professor of Neurobiology & Behavior and Psychiatry & Human Behavior, has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the Carla Liggett and Arthur S. Liggett, M.D. Endowed Chair, in Honor of Frank M. LaFerla. Professor Grill is a highly regarded scholar with an international reputation for his groundbreaking work in clinical trials focused on Alzheimer's disease. His expertise spans trial design, recruitment and retention strategies and research ethics. Since joining UCI in 2015, he has made significant contributions as the director of UCI MIND, and his tireless efforts on behalf of the Alzheimer's center and its patients are truly commendable. As the holder of this distinguished endowed chair, Professor Grill will continue his invaluable research and further advance our understanding of Alzheimer's disease. |
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Dr. Christie Fowler and Dr. Peter Donovan receives funding for their program entitled “Molecular Neuroscience and Undeserved Populations”. In response to the challenge to diversify graduate student recruitment, Professors Fowler and Donovan worked together on behalf of two distinct graduate gateway programs to develop a joint effort to establish a collaborative program in science at a key intersection of their major disciplines. READ MORE |
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The Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep (CogNoS) Lab at the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine are recruiting participants for a research study about sleep and cognition. This study may help us to better understand how sleep benefits memory. You are eligible to participate in this study if you are 18-35 years old with no history of neurological, psychiatric of sleep disorders and believe you will be able to sleep in one of our lab’s sleep rooms. READ MORE |
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Dr. Christie Fowler promoted to Professor.
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Dr. Frank LaFerla advances to Above-Scale Professor.
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Dr. Gyorgy Lur receives Tenure.
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Dr. Vivek Swarup receives Tenure.
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Dr. Elizabeth Chrastil receives Tenure.
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2023 Golden Apple Award (BioSci)
Dr. Andrea Nicholas
Professor Andrea Nicholas first came to UCI in May 2012. A year later, then Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Michael Leon, PhD, asked Professor Nicholas to develop a specific pre-med major to cater to students pursuing careers as healthcare professionals. She conducted research to find out exactly what pre-med students were seeking from a dedicated pre-med program. The result of her work was the creation of the UCI BioSci Human Biology Major.
"When you look back at the moments that drove you, they probably didn't happen reading a textbook," Professor Nicholas said recently. "I put all my energy into creating snapshots where students are seen, heard, admired and rewarded for their scientific and medical passion by peers, experts and young people who emulate them. Human Bio majors graduate, move on and they come back to share their stories, advise and keep our train moving. Every train needs a conductor and I suppose that's been me." Her dedication to serving as faculty advisor to students in the major, and her commitment to pedagogical research are a testament to why she is our 2023 Golden Apple Award winner.
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Public Impact Award (CNLM)
Dr. Christie Fowler
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Exceptional Mentor Award (CNLM)
Dr. Stephen Mahler
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Distinguished Scholar Award (CNLM)
Dr. Marcelo Wood
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GRADUATE STUDENT AND POSTDOCTORAL AWARDS
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John W. Haycock Memorial Graduate Student Travel Award
Mara Burns
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John W. Haycock Memorial Graduate Student Travel Award
Jharrayne McKnight
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John W. Haycock Memorial Graduate Student Travel Award
Kate Tsourmas
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Jared M. Roberts Memorial Graduate Student Award
Daniela Cossio
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Jared M. Roberts Memorial Graduate Student Award
Kate Lawson
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Norman Weinberger Award
Winny Ning
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Norman Weinberger Award
Erica Ramirez
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Norman Weinberger Award
Batool Rizvi
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Norman Weinberger Award
Alyssa Rodriguez
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Renee Harwick Advanced Graduate Student Award
Abigail Flores
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Roger W. Russell Award in the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
Dr. Jenna Adams
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1st Annual NBB Wellbeing Retreat: Wellbeing in a Busy Life
On Friday June 2 nd, 2023, NBB had its 1 st Annual Wellbeing Retreat, which focused on the topic of “Wellbeing in a Busy Life”. The event was planned by the NBB Wellbeing Group Committee - a collective of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students - with additional input from Beth England-Mackie, Assistant Director of the UCI Center for Student Wellness & Health Promotion. The goal of the retreat was simply to a start conversation, between all individuals in our department, as to how we can individually, and collectively, increase our day-to-day wellbeing and become more resilient to life’s challenges. READ MORE |
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Theo Kapogianis
Graduate Student Researcher (Chrastil Lab)
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1. What is your primary research focus? Humans constantly make new associations between elements of the world around them. These learned associations are frequently visualized as a network-like representation called a cognitive graph, which depicts relevant units of information as points (“nodes”) and the connections (“edges”) between these units to illustrate relational structure. The structure represented by a cognitive graph can be spatial (e.g., paths connecting places or abstract (e.g., social networks). My work focuses on how the underlying structure of graph representations impacts our ability to build and use graph representations of information.
2. What do you want to achieve with your research? In the field of learning and memory spatial (eg navigation) and non-spatial (eg associative learning) research are treated as unique and distinct fields even though the underlying hardware being used in both is the same. I hope push the field towards developing a theory of learning and memory with a more global heuristic. |
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3. Tell us what you like to do when you aren't working on research. I love to spend time with friends and loved ones, but a lot my time goes towards developing community networks that offer support to those in need which do not rely on neoliberal capitalist institutions designed to redistribute wealth from working class people to corporate oligarchs. I work with a mutual aide group that distributes ~1.5 tons of fresh food per week to those who are food insecure. We also perform a biweekly harm reduction effort which offers necessities such as food, water, clothes, and blankets, as well as life saving resources such as narcan to our unhoused neighbors in Orange County. I am also part of a committee designing course curriculum for a library and learning center being built in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
4. What would you love to talk about that no one has asked about recently? Birds aren't real. Since the Reagan administration live birds have been systematically eradicated and replaced by 'bird-like' observational drones.
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UPCOMING SEMINARS & EVENTS
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JULY
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ICAN Symposium
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Thursday
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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Food, Trainee Talks, Job Talks, and Lightning Talks
SAVE THE DATE for the annual ICAN Symposium. This event will be held at 1114 Natural Sciences I.
More information coming soon.
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SEPT
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NBB Department Retreat
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21
Thursday
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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Food, Keynote Speakers, Job Talks, and Lightning Talks
SAVE THE DATE for the annual NBB Department Retreat.
More information coming soon.
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STUDENT UPDATES & REMINDERS
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Direct Deposit Update - UCPath
For those that were not paid last quarter in UCPath, the system automatically disenrolls your information from direct deposit. Please be advised to log into UCPath to confirm that your Direct Deposit is currently active. If not active, please go ahead and re-enroll as needed. If your direct deposit is not active, the system will default to mailing out a check to the mailing address you have on file through UCPath. |
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School of Biological Sciences
The School of Biological Sciences offers 12 Fellowship awards to exceptional graduate students.
LEARN MORE |
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Graduate Division
A variety of financial support options are provided for Graduate Students in both PhD and Master’s programs at UCI. LEARN MORE |
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