Director Spotlight

On location with Neuroscience Program Director Daniel Tranel, PhD

"Join the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the University of Iowa and become part of the bright team of scientists trying to solve the mystery of the human brain."


09242024 Distinguished Mentor Ceremony 1

Iowa Neuroscience Institute

Provides collaborative support for the neuroscience community.

IDGP Neuroscience Events

Association of Multicultural Scientists (AMS) Annual Comprehensive Exam Panel  promotional image

Association of Multicultural Scientists (AMS) Annual Comprehensive Exam Panel

Thursday, February 12, 2026 10:00am to 12:00pm
Eckstein Medical Research Building

We are the Association of Multicultural Scientists (AMS), a student organization based in the Carver College of Medicine dedicated to fostering connection, community, and support among scientists. Our diverse membership includes undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff, all united by a shared commitment to mentorship, inclusion, and scientific excellence.

We will be hosting our 📓 Annual Comprehensive Exam Panel ✏️will take place on Thursday, February...

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Guest Speaker: Dr. Stephani Sutherland, PhD promotional image

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Guest Speaker: Dr. Stephani Sutherland, PhD

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 4:00pm
General Hospital

The Neuroscience Graduate Program is pleased to welcome Stephani Sutherland, PhD, a neuroscientist and science communication professional, for a guest seminar focused on careers in science communication.

Dr. Sutherland will begin with an overview of career paths in science communication, drawing on her own wide-ranging professional journey. Trained as a neuroscientist, she has built a multifaceted career as a science communicator, writer, journalist, and educator, translating complex research for...

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Hannah Stutt promotional image

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Hannah Stutt

Monday, March 23, 2026 2:00pm
Medical Education Research Facility

Hannah Stutt is a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. Her research has been conducted in Dr. Nandakumar Narayanan's laboratory.

If you are unable to attend in person, please consider showing your support and attending via Zoom. Please email britt-hokanson@uiowa.edu for the zoom link.

Distinguished Biomedical Scholars Lecture - Ian S. Maze, PhD promotional image

Distinguished Biomedical Scholars Lecture - Ian S. Maze, PhD

Thursday, March 26, 2026 4:00pm to 5:00pm
Medical Education Research Facility
Distinguished Biomedical Scholars Lecture Ian Maze
Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Utsav Mukherjee promotional image

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Utsav Mukherjee

Wednesday, April 8, 2026 2:00pm
Medical Education Research Facility

Utsav Mukherjee is a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. His research has been conducted in Dr. Ted Abel's laboratory.

If you are unable to attend in person, please consider showing your support and attending via Zoom. Please email britt-hokanson@uiowa.edu for the zoom link.

Outstanding Alumni 

Alex Petrucci

Alex Petrucci

Eric Emmons

Eric Emmons

Katelyn Joyal

Katelyn Joyal

Victoria Muller Ewald

9

DISSERTATION PRIZE WINNERS AWARDED BY THE GRADUATE COLLEGE.

Joseph Parvizi, Michael Koenigs, and Benton Purnell (right), Katelyn Joyal EARNED THE SPRIESTERSBACH DISSERTATION PRIZE.

Matthew Sutterer, Arianna Rigon, Banu Gumusoglu, Victoria Muller E
Benton Purnell
Serena Gumusoglu
"The fact that I was able to perform at this level and do this work is representative of this program. The strength of the Neuroscience Program at the University of Iowa is what makes it such a destination program for people.”

Banu Gumusoglu, PhD

2020 winner, Rex Montgomery Dissertation Prize

News & Events

Avenir Award Shen

Congratulations to Susan Shen, MD, PhD

Friday, December 19, 2025

Carver College of Medicine Research Events

Pain Interest Group Workshop - Adriana Della Pietra, PhD promotional image

Pain Interest Group Workshop - Adriana Della Pietra, PhD

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 9:00am to 10:00am
Medical Education Research Facility

Comparison of Phyto- and Endocannabinoid Effects in Migraine Models

Adriana Della Pietra, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher in Dr. Andrew Russo's Lab

Study Hall promotional image

Study Hall

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 10:00am to 12:00pm
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History welcomes students each week for a study session in our galleries. We'll provide the snacks, cushions, and ambiance. You bring your planners, textbooks, or assignments. Together, we'll stay ahead of our goals this semester.

Biomedical & Health Informatics Community Meeting

Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Virtual

We have established a community of CCOM Informaticists who are applying these skills in their work at UIHC. You are invited to join us during our monthly seminar presentations. 

Neuroscience and Pharmacology Workshop - Emily Hagan and Tehreem Haider promotional image

Neuroscience and Pharmacology Workshop - Emily Hagan and Tehreem Haider

Thursday, February 12, 2026 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Medical Education Research Facility

The role of neonatal testosterone dysregulation on early development and behavior in wild-type mice

Emily Hagan
Pharmacology Graduate Student
Dr. Sarah Ferri's Lab

Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Genetic Etiology, and Research Approaches

Tehreem Haider
Pharmacology Graduate Student
Dr. Stefan Strack's Lab

Hardin Open Workshops - EndNote Desktop (Zoom) promotional image

Hardin Open Workshops - EndNote Desktop (Zoom)

Friday, February 13, 2026 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Virtual

EndNote is a reference management tool that helps you to easily gather together your references in one place, organize them, and then insert them into papers and format them in a style of your choosing. This session will walk you through the basics of using EndNote to collect and format your citations. The class will be hands-on, and there will be time for questions at the end.

PLEASE NOTE

Enrollment in HOW is open to all University of Iowa affiliates and residents of the state of Iowa. Advance...

Neuroscience & Pharmacology Postdoctoral Seminar - Zhenggang Zhu, PhD promotional image

Neuroscience & Pharmacology Postdoctoral Seminar - Zhenggang Zhu, PhD

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 10:30am to 11:30am
Virtual

The Dopamine Pedal for Feasting with Friends

Zhenggang Zhu, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate
Department of Neurosciences
University of California San Diego

Zoom link: elyse-myers@uiowa.edu

Study Hall promotional image

Study Hall

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 10:00am to 12:00pm
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History welcomes students each week for a study session in our galleries. We'll provide the snacks, cushions, and ambiance. You bring your planners, textbooks, or assignments. Together, we'll stay ahead of our goals this semester.
Hardin Open Workshops - ORCiD: Open Researcher and Contributor ID (Zoom) promotional image

Hardin Open Workshops - ORCiD: Open Researcher and Contributor ID (Zoom)

Thursday, February 19, 2026 11:00am to 12:00pm
Virtual

What is ORCID? Why would you want one? This session will discuss ORCID, how researchers can benefit from having one, and how ORCID connects with other information systems. This will also be a hands-on workshop where everyone will have the chance to create their own ORCID and learn the most efficient ways to populate their profile with their publications.

PLEASE NOTE

Enrollment in HOW is open to all University of Iowa affiliates and residents of the state of Iowa. Advance registration is required...

Study Hall promotional image

Study Hall

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 10:00am to 12:00pm
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
The Museum of Natural History welcomes students each week for a study session in our galleries. We'll provide the snacks, cushions, and ambiance. You bring your planners, textbooks, or assignments. Together, we'll stay ahead of our goals this semester.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar: Dr. Rui Zhao

Thursday, February 26, 2026 10:30am to 11:20am
Medical Education Research Facility

This event is open to the public.

Title TBA

Rui Zhao, PhD
University of Colorado Anschutz

Faculty Host: Lori Wallrath, PhD

Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs Events

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, February 9, 2026 11:00am to 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building

Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion!

This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science.

Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

ACB Seminar Series - Dr. Pierre Coulombe promotional image

ACB Seminar Series - Dr. Pierre Coulombe

Wednesday, February 11, 2026 9:30am to 10:30am
Bowen Science Building

Dr. Pierre Coulombe, Professor and Chair of the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of Michigan, will present a seminar titled "Sequential Expression of Keratins Regulate Progenitor and Differentiating Keratinocytes in Healthy and Diseased Skin."

Colloquium - A Hessian View of Fine-tuning, Task Attribution, and Reinforcement Learning: Three Vignettes in Modern Machine Learning promotional image

Colloquium - A Hessian View of Fine-tuning, Task Attribution, and Reinforcement Learning: Three Vignettes in Modern Machine Learning

Friday, February 13, 2026 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Schaeffer Hall
We welcome Hongyang Zhang, Ph.D., from Northeastern University, whose research lies at the intersection of machine learning, optimization algorithms, and statistical learning.
Hardin Open Workshops - ORCiD: Open Researcher and Contributor ID (Zoom) promotional image

Hardin Open Workshops - ORCiD: Open Researcher and Contributor ID (Zoom)

Thursday, February 19, 2026 11:00am to 12:00pm
Virtual

What is ORCID? Why would you want one? This session will discuss ORCID, how researchers can benefit from having one, and how ORCID connects with other information systems. This will also be a hands-on workshop where everyone will have the chance to create their own ORCID and learn the most efficient ways to populate their profile with their publications.

PLEASE NOTE

Enrollment in HOW is open to all University of Iowa affiliates and residents of the state of Iowa. Advance registration is required...

The University of Iowa Computing Conference (UICC) 2026 promotional image

The University of Iowa Computing Conference (UICC) 2026

Saturday, February 21 to Sunday, February 22, 2026 (all day)
University of Iowa Main Library
Welcome students, faculty, and all members of the community to our annual UIowa Computing Conference!
The University of Iowa Computing Conference (UICC) 2026 promotional image

The University of Iowa Computing Conference (UICC) 2026

Sunday, February 22, 2026 (all day)
University of Iowa Main Library
Welcome students, faculty, and all members of the community to our annual UIowa Computing Conference!

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Seminar: Dr. Rui Zhao

Thursday, February 26, 2026 10:30am to 11:20am
Medical Education Research Facility

This event is open to the public.

Title TBA

Rui Zhao, PhD
University of Colorado Anschutz

Faculty Host: Lori Wallrath, PhD

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Guest Speaker: Dr. Stephani Sutherland, PhD promotional image

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program Guest Speaker: Dr. Stephani Sutherland, PhD

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 4:00pm
General Hospital

The Neuroscience Graduate Program is pleased to welcome Stephani Sutherland, PhD, a neuroscientist and science communication professional, for a guest seminar focused on careers in science communication.

Dr. Sutherland will begin with an overview of career paths in science communication, drawing on her own wide-ranging professional journey. Trained as a neuroscientist, she has built a multifaceted career as a science communicator, writer, journalist, and educator, translating complex research for...

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, March 9, 2026 11:00am to 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building

Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion!

This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science.

Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.

Women In Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour

Monday, April 13, 2026 11:00am to 12:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building

Join us for the Women in Micro & Immuno Coffee Hour. It is the monthly coffee hour on the second Monday of the month from 11 a.m. to noon in 1289 CBRB. Enjoy coffee, pastries and contribute to the discussion!

This is open to ALL — students, staff, postdocs, and faculty interested in promoting women in science.

Speakers change monthly. Contact: jessica-tucker@uiowa.edu for details.