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Description and Application Guidance
Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PDs and PIs) holding specific types of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants may be eligible for administrative supplement funding (see the full program announcement) to improve the diversity of the research workforce by recruiting and supporting students, postdoctorates, and eligible investigators from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups that have been shown to be underrepresented in health-related research. This supplement opportunity is also available to PDs/PIs of research grants who are or become disabled and need additional support to accommodate their disability in order to continue to work on the research project. Administrative supplements must support work within the scope of the original project.
This funding opportunity is designed specifically for applicants proposing research that does not involve leading an independent clinical trial, a clinical trial feasibility study, or an ancillary clinical trial. Applicants to this funding opportunity are permitted to propose research experience in a clinical trial led by a mentor or co-mentor. This funding opportunity is designed to provide support for research experiences for individuals from diverse backgrounds throughout the continuum from high school to the faculty level. The proposed research experience must be an integral part of the approved, ongoing research of the parent award, and it must have the potential to contribute significantly to the research career development of the candidate.
Detailed eligibility criteria are described in the full program announcement. Also see the Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity (November 22, 2019). Specific application guidance includes the following:
- The institution/university of the principal investigator (PI) determines, justifies, and certifies the eligibility of the candidate based on the Notice of NIH's Interest in Diversity.
- The PI of the NIDCD-funded award prepares the supplement application with input from the candidate.
- Typically, supplements are provided for one year, with a strong justification for a second year.
- The application must clearly describe the need for additional mentored research training.
- The research strategy section in the application must include the following subheadings:
- Career development plan: The PI should include details of specific activities and milestones to be accomplished during the supplement duration. For predoctoral fellows, postdoctoral fellows, and medical students, a plan to transition to NIH mainstream research training and/or research funding should be provided.
- Mentoring research plan: The PI should describe the specific activities planned for the candidate during the supplement period as well as a description of his or her previous training and mentoring experience.
- For high school, undergraduate, postbaccalaureate (includes baccalaureate holders, master’s students, and master’s holders), and predoctoral students (includes students accepted to and currently enrolled in graduate programs such as Ph.D., Au.D., and medical programs), and postdoctoral fellows, the application should include a biosketch for the candidate using the NIH fellowship biosketch format (Biosketch Format Pages, Instructions, and Samples).
- The parent award must have an active budget that is at least equivalent to the duration of the requested supplement and should not be in (or go into) a no-cost extension.
- Typically, NIDCD allows one supplement per parent award to support one candidate. Possible exceptions will be considered for exceptional PIs and candidates with a strong justification and with support from the program official assigned to the parent award.
- Supplements are limited to candidates who are citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States or to candidates who have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States (i.e., in possession of a Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551).
- Candidates supported on a research award (like an R01) may not be transferred to a supplement to increase the availability of funds to the parent award for other uses.
- Candidates may be temporarily supported by the parent award while the application is under review.
- Discussions of the supplement request with the program officer assigned to the parent award are highly encouraged to make sure that the proposed project falls within the scope of the parent award.
- NIDCD accepts applications on a rolling basis.
- The requested start date should not be the application submission date. Please allow at least 6 weeks between submission and start date for processing and review of the application.
- Salary and/or effort can only be requested for the candidate. Any other staff must be supported by the parent award or in-kind.
For application guidance and additional information on administrative supplements to promote diversity in NIDCD-supported research, please contact Alberto Rivera-Rentas.
Institution: University of Southern California
Career Level: Predoctoral (Au.D.)
Research Summary: In 2022, I received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Currently, I am a research assistant in the Bionic Ear Lab at the University of Southern California and an Au.D. student at the California State University of Los Angeles (CSULA). My area of interest is cochlear implants and how speech and music perception can be improved using these devices. Being a cochlear implant user myself, I hope to have an impact on those with hearing impairments as both a clinician and researcher.
Institution: University of Texas at Austin
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: After years of working as a registered behavioral technician (RBT) and clinician with children with autism spectrum disorders, I found my way into research through my fieldwork. This interest in research stems from working closely with families on building language through play and managing challenging behaviors. My current project is working to target limitations to understanding child communication, particularly the generalizability of observed communication. Few studies have examined the measurement stability and generalizability of child communication when observed across multiple caregivers, and no study to date has examined the stability and generalizability of disruptive behaviors from naturalistic child-caregiver interactions.
Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: Combining our brain's natural ability to adapt to sensory experience with cutting-edge neural prostheses, such as cochlear implants, allows for both the restoration and enabling of hearing in those with hearing loss and deafness, respectively. Given that neural plasticity and the success of cochlear implants decline with age, my doctoral research focuses on how temporary loss of vision reenables plasticity in the auditory circuits of adults. My diversity supplement project focuses on how brief visual deprivation alters the activity of corticothalamic neurons in layer 6 of the primary auditory cortex—neurons involved in the focusing of our attention to sounds. The results from my research will contribute to our understanding of how to restore plasticity in the adult brain for better treatment of hearing loss/deafness, as well as providing a potential biological understanding of how blind individuals often possess enhanced hearing and pitch discrimination.
Institution: University of Michigan
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Jun Hee Kim, Ph.D. My research focuses on understanding how auditory dysfunctions, particularly hypersensitivity, can be a potential aid in diagnosing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as early as possible. We tackle this problem by using several mouse models closely associated with ASD in humans. I am interested in changes occurring in the central auditory system, particularly in the arrangement of the cells and in the synaptic connections involved in acoustic hypersensitivity. The results of my studies will contribute to our understanding of the auditory system in ASD and its utility as an ASD screening tool.
Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am currently a doctoral candidate developing novel gene therapy strategies for treating sensorineural hearing loss in the lab of Andy Groves, Ph.D. Sensorineural hearing loss involves the progressive and permanent death of auditory sensory (cochlear) hair cells and is the most common type of hearing loss, affecting millions worldwide. My project focuses on the in vivo delivery of key developmental transcription factors to stimulate hair cell growth from non-sensory cells in the mature cochlea. This research has the potential to expand our knowledge of gene therapy strategies that facilitate the functional recovery of hearing in affected individuals. My long-term research interest involves using similar gene and cell-based therapies to ameliorate the effects of genetic diseases such as sickle cell anemia. Given the rapid advances in this field, I am strongly motivated by both academic and industry-based opportunities.
Institution: SUNY Stony Brook
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I developed a strong interest in neuroscience research during my undergraduate studies. I started at SUNY Stony Brook as a master’s degree student in 2021, and now have transferred into the Ph.D. program with support from Dr. Xiong. I am working on research to determine the dysfunctions of the auditory striatum in aging mice and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) mouse lines. Difficulties in learning new tasks and in making judgements based on sensory information, such as auditory cues, are common symptoms in AD patients as well as in normal aging. Previous studies indicated that the auditory striatum plays an essential role in auditory decision-making and learning. My thesis project targets the research gap by aiming to determine the dysfunction of auditory striatal activity and circuits in aging mice and AD mouse lines.
Institution: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: I received a B.A. in neuroscience and psychology from Boston University. I am currently a research associate in Dr. Nirupa Chaudhari's laboratory, where I conduct molecular, anatomical, and functional research in sensory systems. After gaining much training in various experimental techniques, I am now working with a senior scientist to use Cre-dependent adeno-associated viruses to 1) trace the central projections of and 2) visualize the secondary neuronal targets of a subset of gustatory neurons that respond to sour stimuli. In addition, I have been given the opportunity to prepare to do RNA sequencing analysis by attending several transcriptomics-focused webinars, workshops, and courses. I will also be collaborating with other researchers to investigate and modulate taste perception in mice using chemogenetic inhibition. I look forward to continuing to contribute to the research performed in this laboratory and to broadening my repertoire as a promising biomedical researcher thanks to Dr. Chaudhari and my coworkers.
Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital
Career Level: Postdoctoral
Research Summary: I am a postdoctoral research fellow within the Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery at Massachusetts General Hospital and a member of the multi-institutional BrainGate team. Our lab researches and develops intracortical brain-computer interface (iBCI) devices to enable movement and communication for individuals who have lost these abilities due to severe neurological disease or injury, such as ALS, severe stroke, or spinal cord injury. The BrainGate technology records neural signals from the motor cortex, decodes these signals, and then relays that decoded information to an effector such as a computer cursor or robotic arm device. The goal of my project is to quantify within Mass General Brigham (MGB) the percentage of people with diagnoses related to severe communication and/or upper extremity deficits who may benefit from such an iBCI.
Institution: University of Rochester
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am a graduate student at the University of Rochester, working in Dr. Kenneth Henry’s lab. Cochlear synaptopathy is the loss of afferent synapses between inner hair cells and auditory nerve fibers, and occurs due to acoustic overexposure and normal aging. Cochlear synaptopathy is a common pathology hypothesized to produce perceptual deficits in noise, known as hidden hearing loss. My project addresses the important gap in the literature on whether the surviving auditory nerve fibers after synaptic damage demonstrate changes in encoding to sound. Approaches used in my project include auditory nerve recordings, histological studies, and scalp potential recordings.
Institution: Baylor College of Medicine
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am a licensed speech-language pathologist. I received my master's degree from the University of Houston. I am currently a patient coordinator in the Schnur Laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine. Under the direction of Dr. Tatiana Schnur and Dr. Margaret Blake, I investigate the recovery of language and theory of mind following right hemisphere stroke. Through my diversity supplement, I have received training in neuroimaging and quantification of longitudinal behavioral changes from acute to subacute to chronic stroke. My lab members and I published a textbook chapter on the functional neural correlates of spoken discourse. I presented work at the Dr. Robert G. Grossman Mission Connect Scientific Symposium on quantifying longitudinal changes in communication after right hemisphere stroke. Using lesion symptom mapping, the results from our study will inform us of the neural correlates associated with deficits in the areas of theory of mind, social communication, and language.
Institution: Stanford University
Career Level: Predoctoral (medical student)
Research Summary: I earned an undergraduate degree in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and am now a medical student at the University of Louisville. I completed a research year in Dr. Peter Santa Maria’s lab at Stanford University between my third and fourth years. We studied mechanisms of the innate immune system—specifically the role of macrophages—in causing outer hair cell loss in chronic suppurative otitis media. I studied the role of a chemokine receptor and macrophage receptor, CCR2, on sensorineural hearing loss in chronic suppurative otitis media. I plan to complete my final year of medical school and apply to otolaryngology residency.
Institution: University at Buffalo, SUNY
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am currently a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Ann-Marie Torregrossa. Our lab focuses on how taste and gut feedback contribute to food acceptance and intake—specifically, in regard to salivary proteins and bitter foods. Under normal circumstances, taste compounds (i.e., foods) must first mix with saliva before reaching target taste receptors, implying a role for saliva in modulating taste signaling. Our lab is interested in how exposure to bitter diets can alter salivary proteins, which in turn can increase acceptance of the bitter food and decrease sensitivity to the bitter taste. I am currently focusing on learning molecular techniques such as protein separation to determine which specific classes of proteins are involved in increasing bitter acceptance. I plan to use the learned techniques in future work.
Institution: University of Illinois at Chicago
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: I am a postbaccalaureate in the Zak Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago. My research focuses on understanding sensory processing in the olfactory system and how it is affected by neurodevelopmental disease. Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by sensory hypersensitivity and reactivity, which have profound and negative impacts on quality of life. My research aims to understand how neural circuits and sensory processing in the olfactory system are disrupted in a mouse model of autism, leading to abnormal odor perception. I am conducting behavioral experiments to measure perceptual thresholds and odorant avoidance. I intend to follow this work with electrophysiological recordings of cellular activity in the olfactory bulb and the piriform cortex. I am currently applying to graduate schools and plan to continue to study the cellular basis of animal perception and behavior.
Institution: Michigan State University
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am a Ph.D. student in the Analysis of Voice and Hearing Laboratory (AVAH Lab) under the supervision of Dr. Maryam Naghibolhosseini at Michigan State University. My current research focuses on how we can use high-speed videoendoscopy and objective measures to better understand voice disorders. Specifically, I am investigating the vibratory characteristics of the vocal folds at the onset and offset of phonation for several neurogenic voice disorders, including adductor laryngeal dystonia, vocal tremor, and unilateral vocal fold paralysis. I also use artificial intelligence to study these disorders. Our long-term goal is to aid clinicians in the diagnosis of these disorders.
Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz
Career Level: Master's degree student
Research Summary: I received a bachelor's degree in psychology and molecular biology from New York University in 2021. I am now a master's degree student at UC Santa Cruz in the molecular, cell, and developmental biology program, and am doing my research in the Feldheim Lab. My project in this lab involves molecular labeling of auditory responsive neurons in the mouse superior colliculus in order to learn how these neurons gain the response properties.
Institution: University of Miami
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: I recently graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology. I am interested in the field of child development and neuroscience. I am honored to be a recipient of the NIDCD supplement award. Under the direction of Drs. Daniel S. Messinger and Lynn K. Perry, I am conducting research using automated speech recognition tools to understand bilingual language development in children with hearing loss. This opportunity not only aligns with my academic aspirations, but also allows me to contribute to the broader understanding of diverse populations and their language acquisition trajectories.
Institution: Massachusetts Eye and Ear
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: I received a B.A. in biomedical engineering and neuroscience from Harvard University in 2022. I am a postbaccalaureate research fellow in the Jenks Vestibular Physiology Laboratory. I study sensorimotor behaviors using computational neuroscience approaches. During behaviors like postural control, the brain constantly senses motion through sensory inputs to generate motion commands. These sensory inputs include the vestibular organs that sense three-dimensional rotation, translation, and gravity. Errors in these cues can affect behavior, but the role that these errors play in central nervous system processing still needs to be elucidated. I am using computational models to investigate how erroneous vestibular cues affect behavior, including errors resulting from vestibular dysfunction.
Institution: Rutgers University
Career Level: Postdoctoral
Research Summary: I received my Ph.D. at Rutgers University Newark, where I was trained as a developmental neuroscientist. My current interest is to understand the epigenetic changes during development of inner ear neurosensory progenitors. The diversity supplement project focuses on the chromatin remodeling protein CHD7 and determining if it regulates non-canonical DNA regulatory elements, such as anti-sense promoters, during differentiation of otic neurosensory progenitors into auditory neurons. Using genome editing tools such as CRISPRi, I will specifically block CHD7 binding at anti-sense promoters of genes involved in neuronal differentiation, monitor changes in transcription of these genes, and determine whether neuronal differentiation is altered. In addition, I will examine an in vivo spiral ganglion neuron specific knockout mouse model to confirm the effects observed in otic progenitor cell lines. I am hopeful that the research will identify new mechanisms that underlie inner ear development.
Institution: Vanderbilt University
Career Level: Postdoctoral
Research Summary: I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Vanderbilt University. My main research interest is language development in Spanish-speaking populations. My current goal is to gather baseline data on the language, literacy, and hearing of Spanish-speaking children with cochlear implants.
Institution: University of Michigan
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: My sensorineural hearing loss, my interest in music and language, and my undergraduate major in psychology combined to bring me to the field of auditory neuroscience at the Apostolides lab after graduating from college. I study how descending projections from the auditory cortex control neural activity in the inferior colliculus. To this end, I use two-photon calcium imaging and optogenetic silencing in behaving mice. In a separate project, I also use fluorescent neurotransmitter sensors to study the receptive fields of individual synapses.
Institution: University of Texas at Austin
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am an Au.D. student and graduate research assistant at the University of Texas at Austin. My work in the Texas Auditory Neuroscience Lab involves collecting behavioral and objective data. This data is used to examine the auditory neural processes involved in spatial listening, listening in noise, and attention effects of listening. My current project investigates attention effects at the brainstem and cortical levels in response to concurrent vowel mixtures differing in fundamental frequency. Our lab aims to improve clinical measures of auditory function by providing objective markers that may correlate to behavioral results. Objective measures of auditory function are necessary to provide adequate care to populations who cannot respond behaviorally to testing.
Institution: Harvard Medical School
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am a Ph.D. student in the Speech and Hearing Bioscience and Technology program at Harvard Medical School. I received a B.S. in neuroscience and B.S. in cognitive science from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where I investigated mechanisms of gene regulation and chromatin remodeling in neurons with Dr. Gerald Crabtree at Stanford University with the support of UC Santa Cruz’s STEM Diversity program. As a Ph.D. student with Dr. Lisa Goodrich at Harvard, I am now studying the synergistic dynamics of Maf transcription factors in the cochlea, examining how their interactions at the molecular level drive the emergence of diverse synaptic phenotypes. With molecular and genetic methods, I am investigating how these transcription factors orchestrate the gene expression landscape in SGN subtypes, crucial for translating the acoustic world into neural signals. This focus on transcriptional interplay offers novel insights into the molecular complexity underpinning phenotypic diversity in the peripheral auditory system.
Institution: Northeast Ohio Medical University/Kent State University
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: Early life stress has been shown to have widespread effects on the developing brain, and in recent years has been linked to persistent auditory processing deficits. My research is focused on the developing primary auditory cortex in Mongolian gerbils and how early life stress may alter the normal developmental trajectory. My current project, supported by the NIDCD supplement grant, uses fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to label subpopulations of inhibitory interneurons that help regulate plasticity and critical period timing. In this way, we can examine changes to these important circuits across early development and elucidate the cellular changes that may underlie how stress contributes to sensory deficits later in life. This work is being conducted in the lab of Professor Merri Rosen as part of my Master of Science degree in neuroscience through Kent State University and Northeast Ohio Medical University, where I am also completing an M.D.
Institution: University of Louisville
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I received my undergraduate and master's degree at Eastern Michigan University, where I learned to record from single units in the trigeminal ganglion. This brought me to the University of Louisville, where I use immunohistochemistry, calcium imaging, electrophysiology, and optogenetics to study the anatomy and function of specific genetic subtypes of mechanosensory neurons that innervate the tongue.
Institution: Rutgers University
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: I graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in biological sciences in 2023. After I completed my degree, I began to work in the laboratory of Dr. Justin Yao as a research assistant. Our laboratory seeks to uncover the neural basis of auditory decision making and cognition. My research focuses on determining how hearing loss impairs cognitive processing involved in multisensory decision making. Working in the Yao Lab has given me a new fondness for the field of auditory neuroscience, and it has encouraged me to pursue a medical degree with a specialization in otolaryngology.
Institution: University of Rochester
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am a Ph.D. candidate researching the interplay between chemosensory neurons and the immune system in mammals. Our diversity supplement project is dedicated to unraveling the relationship between these two systems. Chemosensory epithelia are primary sites of molecular detection, conveyed through the activity of chemosensory neurons. Concurrently, the chemosensory epithelia act as sites of primary defense against environmental threats, including pollutants, toxins, and infectious agents. By investigating the interplay between these systems, we will gain new insight into how chemosensory neurons, supporting cells, and immune cells influence each other in healthy and diseased states.
Institution: Gallaudet University
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: In my postbaccalaureate training with the Center for Deaf Health Equity at Gallaudet University, an aim is to explore the relationship between cancer worry, cancer beliefs, and cancer screening behavior within the deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing (DDBHH) population. This investigation aligns with the Center’s U01 grant on advancing cancer health equity among diverse DDBHH populations by leveraging technology-enhanced approaches and community health workers (CHWs) who use American Sign Language (ASL). Among DDBHH people who use ASL, there are documented reports of difficulties in understanding cancer health information in print, accessing clinical services for screenings, and understanding and following treatment-related directives if screening results warrant a cancer diagnosis. By elucidating the relationship between cancer worry and cancer screening behaviors in DDBHH people, we aim to identify optimal strategies for resolving cancer worry-related barriers to receiving cancer prevention and screening. At the conclusion of this diversity supplement, I plan to attend medical school in 2024.
Institution: University of Texas at Dallas
Career Level: Postbaccalaureate
Research Summary: Hispanic children disproportionately live in areas with limited resources, putting them at risk for language delays that predict mental health and academic outcomes. Ensuring adequate Hispanic participation in research is crucial in reducing the disparities these communities face. The Baby Brain Lab at the University of Texas at Dallas focuses on the interplay between caregiver speech and brain development. My diversity supplement project aims to remove barriers for Spanish-speaking families in large and highly impactful studies. The results will contribute knowledge about the language environment in Spanish-speaking families, helping us to provide families with effective tools to cultivate a nurturing language environment that fosters brain development.
Institution: The Jackson Laboratory
Career Level: Postdoctoral
Research Summary: In 2022, I obtained a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences with a focus in neurosciences from Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico. I am currently a postdoctoral associate in the Tarchini Lab at The Jackson Laboratory. Here, we principally use mouse genetics to study the mechanisms that pattern sensory hair cells during development and maintain their organization throughout life. One of my projects exploits a unique spontaneous mouse mutant to investigate a new mitochondrial protein essential for hearing and balance.
Institution: University of Southern California
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I received a B.S. in neuroscience from UCLA in 2020. I am currently a neuroscience Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Dr. Lindsey Schier at the University of Southern California. My research focuses on the molecular pathways behind diabetes and obesity at the level of the oral cavity. Our overall goal is to understand how the chemical composition of foods and fluids are sensed and how these signals are processed in the brain to influence behavior.
Institution: University of Houston
Career Level: Undergraduate
Research Summary: I am an undergraduate researcher in the Child Language Ability Lab (C-Lab), where we are identifying eye-gaze pattern profiles in bidialectal speakers with and without developmental language disorders (DLD). For my diversity supplement project, I am studying dialect detection of children compared to one of their parents. To capture real-time visual attention, we use Sticky, a webcam-based Tobii eye-tracking software. I aim to evaluate sensitivities to violations of phonology in both Mainstream American English (MAE) and African American English (AAE). This study will provide more empirical work on language processing in school-age children needed to locate clinical markers of DLD.
Institution: University of Texas at Dallas
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: Individuals with autism spectrum disorders often experience difficulties with everyday communication. Receptive language ability can be impacted by neural dysfunction along the auditory pathway. My doctoral research is focused on understanding the relationship between neurophysiological responses to sound and functional behavior. My diversity supplement project focuses on evaluating the influence of vagus nerve stimulation paired with sound presentation on anterior auditory field sound-evoked responses in a rat model of autism. The results from my research will contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of altered auditory processing among individuals with autism spectrum disorders, and will evaluate targeted therapeutic interventions for improving sound processing.
Institution: Boston University
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the lab of Helen Tager-Flusberg, Ph.D. As a developmental and clinical psychologist, I am interested in studying the neurological correlates of language and social communication differences in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). My work currently investigates receptive language processing in children with ASD who are minimally verbal (i.e., have fewer than 20 spoken words) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). I am interested in seeing how this population responds to stories that contain references to their specific interests. The findings will be used to help identify the neurological characteristics of children with ASD who respond to individually targeted language. This research could potentially aid the development of novel targeted and intensive language interventions for this group of children.
Institution: Oregon Health & Science University
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I obtained a B.S. in neuroscience at Washington State University before joining the Ph.D. program in behavioral and systems neuroscience at OHSU. My doctoral research focuses on the neural circuits that support perception of natural sounds in complex acoustic environments. Accurate hearing in noisy settings requires perceptual grouping of dynamic and often overlapping sound features into behaviorally important targets or distracting noise. My experiments combine chronic multi-channel neural recording, free-moving auditory discrimination behavior, and targeted optogenetics. By selectively inactivating callosal projections in the auditory cortex, I will test the role of interhemispheric communication on behaviors requiring grouping of spatially localized natural sounds and on neural coding that supports successful behavior.
Institution: University of Utah
Career Level: Predoctoral
Research Summary: I am a Ph.D. student in the Cognition and Neural Science Program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Utah. I received a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in French from Southwestern University in 2021. My current research interests focus on understanding the neural mechanisms of cognitive effort during speech comprehension. With support from the NIDCD diversity supplement, I am testing whether measures of oscillatory and aperiodic neural activity derived from EEG can serve as markers of listening effort in older adults with sensorineural hearing loss.
