Joshua M
- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of Virginia

Expertise

Neuroscience, Biology, Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Cell and Molecular Biology, Immunology

Bio

I am interested in many different areas within both neuroscience and biology in general. My primary focus currently is on understanding the biology of the strongest genetic risk factor for developing Alzheimer's Disease to better understand how it influences brain function and disease progression. More personally, I'm also very interested in working with students as a mentor and find joy in seeing my students understand, think critically, and exude excitement for their topic of research. I love incorporating some levity and hobbies of mine or my students' in our time together, as I've found that it not only makes the process of developing and conducting scientific ideas more fun, but also strongly aids in my students' interest and excitement for science.

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.

Inflammation and the Brain

The immune system and brain are closely intertwined and communicate with each other under normal conditions and in disease. In this project, you'll read and understand scientific papers about the interplay between the immune system and the brain, why a healthy immune system is important for optimal brain function and development, and what happens to the relationship between these two complex organs when things go wrong in disease. You can write up your findings in a scientific review article, blog post, or any other form of media that interests you the most, whether that be a video, podcast, or anything else!

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: How Caretakers Have Been Forgotten

All people deserve care and comfort in all situations. If you have or know someone with a family member with Alzheimer's Disease or dementia, then you probably know that it can take a heavy toll on those taking care for that family member. A less talked about and poorly understood outcome of this is that people who consider themselves caretakers for someone with any form of dementia are at a higher risk of developing dementia themselves. For this project, you'll learn how to read and interpret scientific literature, explore ideas for combatting this issue, write a literature review or blog post of what is currently known, and even present your findings to a group of neuroscientists if you'd like, all while acknowledging and respecting the dire need for this form of caretaking. I'd also love to get creative with your findings, whether we make a vlog, podcast, or even some form of art to express your findings in new, interesting ways that speak to you personally.

Teaching experience

I have mentored 5 students in my time as a graduate student, all of whom were new to the field of neuroscience. Three of my students have had their own individual research projects that I've overseen, but in all cases, I was and am highly involved throughout the entire mentoring process. I have experience walking students through the literature, designing experiments, conducting experiments, interpreting results, putting data together into presentable figures, and presenting the project to a broad audience.