Our graduate students are also flourishing, with enrollment steadily increasing, exceptional completion rates and a “time to degree” average that surpasses our national peers. Throughout their programs, our students are conducting groundbreaking research and, in fiscal year 2024, brought in more than $1.3 million in extramural grant funding.
Leading pharmaceutical companies have taken notice. Many of our students are completing internships with prestigious research labs like Eli Lilly and Merck. Abdiel Badillo-Martinez, a Ph.D. student in neuroscience, is familiar with high-level internships. In addition to his recent experience with Eli Lilly, he previously interned at the National Institutes of Health. He is currently researching the growth of nerve fibers as potential therapies for injuries in the central nervous system.
I think the brain is such a nexus of creativity, intelligence and beauty. I want to protect this unique ability and teach others about it through my research and by exploring new avenues of therapeutic potential.
Still others are pursuing tech innovations that are improving care for patients. A fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in biochemistry and molecular biology, Olivia Osborne, is studying the molecular mechanisms that affect post-stroke brain tissue growth and was awarded an F31 fellowship from the NIH to advance her dissertation. Her research also inspired her to create NeurOn Therapeutics, an app that allows users to take control of their cognitive health.