Grace Kollman Awarded 2024 Sutherland-Merlino Fellowship

The logic of systems neuroscience meshes with Carnegie Mellon University first-year Ph.D. student Grace Kollman.

“I knew I was interested in how neurons communicate with each other, and how we can use this information to develop therapies,” said Kollman, who is a member of Carnegie Mellon’s Neuroscience Institute.

Kollman graduated from the University of Iowa with her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience. As an undergraduate, she worked in Stefan Strack’s pharmacology lab, where she investigated signal transduction pathways related to neurodevelopmental disorders. From that experience, Kollman developed a passion for research.

“Neuroscience is such a huge, broad field that I knew I wanted some more experience before delving into a Ph.D. program,” she said.

Kollman worked as a research technician at the University of California San Diego in Thomas Hnasko’s lab researching the underlying neural circuitry of dopamine heterogeneity, applicable to neuropsychiatric illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease.

“That’s where I fell in love with circuit level research and with the tools used in systems neuroscience,” Kollman said. “I felt confident this was what I wanted to continue doing.”

She joined Carnegie Mellon’s Program in Systems Neuroscience (PSN) this fall.

“What’s really cool about this program, and Carnegie Mellon in general, is they’re really emphasizing computational methods and how it can be used to complement experimental research,” said Kollman. “That’s really valuable, as this is the direction I see the field going.”

The Neuroscience Institute brings together faculty and students from across the university to conduct multidisciplinary work to advance the state of brain science. PSN trains students with backgrounds in biology and neuroscience disciplines in the growing field of quantitative systems neuroscience and provides them the essential background in experimental neuroscience.

As a first-year Ph.D. student, Kollman is exploring research opportunities at Carnegie Mellon through lab rotations. She currently works with Aryn Gittis, professor of biological sciences and a member of the Neuroscience Institute. Gittis’ lab studies the progression of motor control neural circuit dysfunction in mouse models of Parkinson’s disease. The lab’s primary goal is to elucidate specific neural pathways and deep brain stimulation patterns that can be therapeutic to Parkinson’s patients.

“Grace hit her stride right away in the lab. She came into the program with a lot of research experience and has made quick progress in mastering some really challenging techniques,” Gittis said. “She is very thoughtful in her approach and has already made some important contributions to the lab.”

Thanks to a close relationship with the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition PSN students can work not only with Carnegie Mellon faculty but also professors from the University of Pittsburgh.

In the spring, Kollman said she plans to rotate with Susanne Ahmari, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, who studies cortico-striatal circuit abnormalities associated with compulsive behavior disorders.

“Grace’s passion makes her stand out even amongst the stellar cohort of graduate students in our programs,” said Barbara Shinn-Cunningham, professor of auditory neuroscience and director of Carnegie Mellon’s Neuroscience Institute.

For her dedication, Kollman is this year’s recipient of the Sutherland-Merlino Fellowship.

The award was created by Nancie Merlino, 1964 alumna of Carnegie Mellon’s Margaret Morrison Carnegie College, in honor of her late husband, Thomas Merlino, and her father, James Sutherland, also CMU alumni. Since 2021, the fellowship has annually provided financial support to one incoming Ph.D. student who shows excellent academic and professional promise, an eagerness to learn and an enthusiastic spirit.

“I am grateful to Nancie Merlino for supporting students like Grace and helping them to achieve their dreams,” Shinn-Cunningham said.