I am interested in how local differences in brain morphology in children and adolescents correlate with behavioral outcome. This is important, because by characterizing normal neurobiology of brain circuits that influence behaviors such as fearfulness, we can potentially gain better insight into the neural underpinnings of complex psychopathology such as anxiety disorders.
Iowa's unique strength of emphasizing both molecular and cognitive neuroscience drew me here from Europe. Within this neuroscience program there is a great variability as to what your fellow students work on, which creates an environment for creative thinking. In addition, at the University of Iowa you have the opportunity to work with top notch scientists and there is access to both brain damaged patients and functional imaging.
“The neuroscience program at the university has a unique blend of cognitive and molecular neuroscience that appeals to my own diverse interests for studying the brain. Most other programs place emphasis on one side or the other of these two broad disciplines.”