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)!

đŸ’» “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...

Pain Interest Group Seminar - Andrew Schrepf, PhD promotional image

Pain Interest Group Seminar - Andrew Schrepf, PhD

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 9:00am to 10:00am
Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building

The neuroimmune interface in chronic pelvic pain

Andrew Schrepf, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Anesthesiology
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
University of Michigan

Neuroscience News

Katy_Richerson_for web.jpg

Katherine (Katy) Proch defends Thesis!

Friday, April 6, 2018
Katherine (Katy) Proch successfully defended her thesis on March 28th, 2018!Title: “Characterizing the effect of serotonergic input on medullary Phox2b neurons”CONGRATULATIONS!Pictured: Katherine Proch (left) and her Mentor: George Richerson, MD, PhD (right)

INI at AAAS and Family Science Days

Wednesday, March 14, 2018
This year at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference in Austin, TX, the University of Iowa was represented by both the Iowa Neuroscience Institute (INI), and by the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience. Dr. Ted Abel, Director of the INI and AAAS Fellow, spoke on Saturday, Feb. 17th on his research regarding sleep and memory consolidation. Dr. Abel’s...

Emmons, Purnell win PBI Best Paper Competition

Wednesday, March 7, 2018
University of Iowa graduate students Eric Emmons and Benton Purnell won first- and second-place, respectively, in the 2017 Pappajohn Biomedical Institute Graduate Student Best Paper Competition.All graduate students working in PBI labs were eligible to enter papers published during 2017. Finalists were invited to present their work to members of PBI labs on Monday, March 5. Postdoctoral associates...

New study probes potential lifesaving sleep-intervention processes

Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Scientists long believed that carbon dioxide inhaled during sleep activates neurons responsible for breathing and causes a person to wake up.However, a recent University of Iowa study identifies a group of neurons responsible for arousal that are directly triggered by carbon dioxide and cause mice to wake up without any changes to breathing, according to a press release from the Carver College of...

Jan Wessel receives NIH grant to study inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility

Monday, January 22, 2018
The Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences is pleased to announce that Dr. Jan Wessel, an assistant professor in the Departments of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Neurology, has been awarded an R01 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) entitled "The Role of a Neural Mechanism for Inhibitory Control in Cognitive Flexibility." The collaborators on this...

Pigeons can discriminate both space and time

Monday, January 22, 2018
Finding underscores that animals beyond humans and primates show abstract intelligence. Pigeons aren’t so bird-brained after all.New research at the University of Iowa shows that pigeons can discriminate the abstract concepts of space and time—and seem to use a different region of the brain than humans and primates to do so. In experiments, pigeons were shown on a computer screen a static...

Tranel named 2017 AAAS Fellow

Monday, December 4, 2017
The honor will be presented at the February 2018 AAAS meetingUniversity of Iowa faculty member Daniel Tranel has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.This year 396 members have been...

Learning shows sex bias in mice with mutation tied to autism

Monday, December 4, 2017
Male mice with a genetic variant tied to autism have learning difficulties that females with the variant do not, a new study suggests1.The mice are missing a stretch of DNA on chromosome 16 called 16p11.2. About 30 percent of people with the deletion have autism.The male mice also show sex-specific changes in the activity of a molecular pathway thought to be involved in autism and related...

Changing Brain Networks Post Surgery

Wednesday, October 25, 2017
For patients who have undergone brain surgery, little is known about how their cognitive functions change and recover over time.As a doctoral student at the University of Iowa, Matt Sutterer uncovered answers about the brain’s plasticity and reorganization. His research demonstrated that brain network changes occur in the early weeks after surgery, and continue months after the procedure.“For...

Dr. John Wemmie featured in Scientific American article

Wednesday, August 30, 2017
UI's very own Dr. John Wemmie was featured in a recent article published by the Scientific American regarding psychiatric disorders and their relationship to increased levels of acidity found in the brains of people with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This area of investigation could have novel implications for therapies for psychiatric disorders. Read the full...