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."

Iowa Neuroscience Institute

Provides collaborative support for the neuroscience community.

IDGP Neuroscience Events

ACB Seminar Series - Grace Gottschamer promotional image

ACB Seminar Series - Grace Gottschamer

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 9:30am to 10:30am
Bowen Science Building

Grace Gottschamer, an Interdisciplinary Graduate Student from the Dunnwald Lab will present a seminar titled " Irf6 and Epidermal Homeostasis."

 ACB Seminar Series - Joy James promotional image

ACB Seminar Series - Joy James

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 9:30am to 10:30am
Bowen Science Building

Joy James, a Cell and Developmental Biology Graduate Student in Sam Stephen's Lab will present a seminar titled "Proinflammatory Cytokines Induce Golgi Remodeling In Pancreatic Β-cells Beyond Inos-no Signaling."

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Virtual Career Development Series - Neuroscience alumna, McCall Sarrett, PhD promotional image

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Virtual Career Development Series - Neuroscience alumna, McCall Sarrett, PhD

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 11:30am
Virtual

🎓 Neuroscience Alumni Spotlight: McCall Sarrett, PhD ('20)

From Herky to Duo: A Career in the Cognitive Science of Learning

What can a PhD career look like beyond the traditional academic path?

Join the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Career Development Series for a conversation with McCall Sarrett, PhD ('20, Neuroscience), a University of Iowa graduate alumna who has built a career applying cognitive science and research in industry.

McCall is currently a Learning Scientist at Duolingo, where...

2026 Neuroscience Research Day Keynote Speaker: Constanza J. Cortes, PhD promotional image

2026 Neuroscience Research Day Keynote Speaker: Constanza J. Cortes, PhD

Monday, November 2, 2026 1:00pm
Medical Education Research Facility

Keynote Speaker Announcement: Constanza J. Cortes, PhD
2026 Neuroscience Research Day – Monday, November 2, 2026

We are excited to welcome Constanza J. Cortes, PhD, Assistant Professor of Gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, to the University of Iowa for this year's Neuroscience Research Day.

Dr. Cortes's research explores the intersection of exercise, brain aging, skeletal muscle, and Alzheimer’s disease, with a particular focus on how...

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Angela Smith promotional image

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Angela Smith

Tuesday, November 10, 2026 11:00am
Medical Education Research Facility

Angela Smith is a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. Her research has been conducted in both Kathleen Sluka's and Stephanie Gantz's laboratories.

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.

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Katelin Scott promotional image

Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Katelin Scott

Monday, November 30, 2026 10:00am
Medical Education Research Facility

Katelin Scott is a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. Her research has been conducted in Aislinn Williams' 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.

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Virtual Career Development Series - Genetics alumna, Kim Bekas, PhD promotional image

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Virtual Career Development Series - Genetics alumna, Kim Bekas, PhD

Tuesday, December 8, 2026 11:30am
Virtual

📣 Career Development Series: Finding Flexibility in a Career in Grantsmanship

Looking for a career path that keeps you connected to research while offering a different kind of flexibility after the PhD? Grantsmanship may be an option worth exploring!

The Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Office of Cancer Career Enhancement and Training is hosting the next session of its Career Development Series, featuring Kim Bekas, PhD (‘22 Genetics).

Kim currently serves as a Grants & Contracts Officer IV and...

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Virtual Career Development Series - Neuroscience alumna, Amanda Bullert, PhD promotional image

Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Virtual Career Development Series - Neuroscience alumna, Amanda Bullert, PhD

Tuesday, January 12, 2027 11:30am
Virtual

Curious about where a PhD can take you beyond the traditional academic career path? Join the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Office of Cancer Career Enhancement and Training for an upcoming Career Development Series conversation featuring

University of Iowa alumna Amanda Bullert, PhD (‘23 Neuroscience)!

💻 “Careers in Research Computing: Data, Supercomputing & Beyond”

Amanda Bullert, PhD (‘23 Neuroscience)
Senior Research Data Consultant
Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain
University of...

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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

Iowa Neuroscience Institute Events

2026 Neuroscience Research Day Keynote Speaker: Constanza J. Cortes, PhD promotional image

2026 Neuroscience Research Day Keynote Speaker: Constanza J. Cortes, PhD

Monday, November 2, 2026 1:00pm
Medical Education Research Facility

Keynote Speaker Announcement: Constanza J. Cortes, PhD
2026 Neuroscience Research Day – Monday, November 2, 2026

We are excited to welcome Constanza J. Cortes, PhD, Assistant Professor of Gerontology at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, to the University of Iowa for this year's Neuroscience Research Day.

Dr. Cortes's research explores the intersection of exercise, brain aging, skeletal muscle, and Alzheimer’s disease, with a particular focus on how...

Hawk-IDDRC Seminar Series featuring Maja Bucan, PhD: "Sleep and activity patterns in autism”  promotional image

Hawk-IDDRC Seminar Series featuring Maja Bucan, PhD: "Sleep and activity patterns in autism”

Friday, October 9, 2026 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Carver Biomedical Research Building

Please join us for our first Hawk-IDDRC Seminar of the academic year, featuring: Maja Bućan, PhD.
Professor, Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry; Co-director, Autism Spectrum Program Of Excellence, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Lurie Autism Institute, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and PennMedicine
Presenting: "Sleep and activity patterns in autism” Friday, October 9, 2026, Noon – 1pm CST in the Kelch Conference Room (CBRB 1289)
Lunch will be available for those who...

Neuroscience News

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Rachel Schroeder Successfully Defends Thesis

Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Congratulations to Rachel Schroeder (Stevens & Pieper Labs) on her successful thesis defense today, April 7th, 2021!

Rachel Schroeder's Recent Publication Featured in the Daily Iowan

Tuesday, February 9, 2021
Rachel Schroeder (Stevens & Pieper labs, Psychiatry) recently published a first-author publication: “Maternal P7C3-A20 Treatment Protects Offspring from Neuropsychiatric Sequelae of Prenatal Stress”, see more here: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ars.2020.8227, which was also featured in the Daily Iowan: https://dailyiowan.com/2021/02/04/iowa-and-ohio-researchers-discover-compound-with-the...

Congratulations to the 2020 Kwak-Ferguson Fellowship Winner Margaret Tish

Thursday, September 17, 2020
Congrats to Neuroscience Graduate Student, Maggie Tish! Maggie won the 2020 Kwak-Ferguson fellowship award for her research regarding neurodegenerative diseases. Read more about her work in the article attached! Read more here!

Black in Neuro Week July 27th through August 2nd

Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Black in Neuroscience week is here! The UI Neuroscience Graduate Program is honored to celebrate Black excellence in neuro-related fields. The first #BlackInNeuroWeek is July 27-Aug 2. Current student, Micah Johnson, is featured in one of the profiles Visit https://www.blackinneuro.com/ for details on live online events, daily hashtags and conversations, resources, and profiles.
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James Kent Successfully Defends Thesis

Friday, July 17, 2020
Congratulations to James Kent (Voss Lab) on a successful thesis defense. James defended his thesis "Statistical Comparison of Methods Measuring Context Dependent Functional Connectivity" on Wednesday, July 15th. Congrats James!
Banu at the scope. Photo by PhD student Katerina Sosa.

Banu Gumusoglu Received 2020 Rex Montgomery Dissertation Prize

Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Banu, a recent graduate from the Neuroscience PhD program was awarded the Rex Montgomery Dissertation Prize for 2020. Banu is a part of the Stevens Lab. Each year the Rex Montgomery Dissertation Prize recognizes the most meritorious dissertation by a doctoral student conducting research in prevention of disease and/or the translation of research into clinical practice. Students from a variety of...
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Dr. Stanley Perlman leads COVID-19 Research Efforts at the University of Iowa

Thursday, May 14, 2020
Neuroscience Faculty member Dr. Stanley Perlman and one of only ten virologists in the world to study Coronavirus leads the University of Iowa research efforts for COVID-19. Check out the great article on Dr. Perlman's research here!

Dr. Joshua Weiner Appointed Associate Dean of CLAS

Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Congratulations to Neuroscience Faculty member Joshua Weiner, who has been appointed to the position of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Associate Dean for Research, effective July 1, 2020.
Katrina Okerstrom-Jezewski_Congratulations.jpg

Katrina Okerstrom- Jezewski Defends Thesis

Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Katrina Okerstrom- Jezewski (Anderson & Tranel Labs) successfully defended her thesis, titled "The impact of specific cognitive impairments on the capacity to consent to research". Congratulations Katrina!