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Nahdia J

- Research Program Mentor

PhD at Georgetown University

Expertise

neuroscience, mental illness, neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, obesity, diet studies

Bio

I'm Nahdia a Post-Doctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University. I earned my Ph.D. from the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience (IPN) at Georgetown University in 2021. Before my Ph.D., I received my B.A. in Neuroscience from Boston University where I researched the effects of time cell disruption on memory recall.  At the IPN, I worked in the Laboratory of Aging and Neurodegeneration. My dissertation focused on understanding the effects a high fat diet has on the risk of Alzheimer's Disease. Currently I am studying how diet is able to communicate with t and cause alterations in the brain. My overarching research goal is to bridge the gap between diet, the central nervous system and neurodegeneration. When I am not doing research, I can be found outside hiking, snowboarding, or at the beach. I am also a competitive powerlifter, and a nutrition/fitness enthusiast.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

How does a scientist science?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a scientist? How scientist conduct research? What a day in the life a scientist looks like? With this project you will have the opportunity to interview one, two or even three (!) scientist. This project will require you to find scientist that interest you, initiate contact, come up with interview questions, and write a full article based on the transcripts from the interviews. At the end you will not only know how a scientist sciences, but also have met amazing scientist along the way!

The Environment and the Brain

How does the environment affect the brain? If you eat a lot of sugar does that affect your brain differently? What about if you exercise regularly or live in a polluted environment, how does your brain respond to that? The brain is very closely connected to the rest of your body, and your environment and here's the opportunity to explore exactly how. With this project you will have the opportunity to research the brain's connection to an environmental factor of your choice. This will include diving into the literature and writing an in depth review on the topic you choose.

Coding skills

GraphPad Prism, ImageJ

Teaching experience

I have both taught and mentored undergraduate and graduate students. I directed an introductory neuroscience course for two years and taught multiple neuroanatomy, and recitation classes. I have also mentored high school, undergraduate and masters students in a lab setting.

Credentials

Work experience

Columbia University (2021 - Current)
Postdoc

Education

Boston University
BA Bachelor of Arts (2016)
Neuroscience
Georgetown University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2021)
Neurodegeration and diet

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