Biomedical Sciences and Behavioral Neuroscience Double Major Shadé Eleazer ’22 Awarded Simons Research Fellowship

As a research fellow, Shadé will work alongside members of the Ruta neuroscience laboratory at Rockefeller University to study the arousal state of male Drosophila and their distinct behavioral responses to other flies.

“I am interested in going to graduate school, so this opportunity will not only make me a stronger applicant but also expose me to the type of lab work and tasks that will be required of me in the future,” Eleazer told the Simons Foundation. “I am thrilled to begin my work with my mentor and the rest of the lab members!”

Shadé has consistently demonstrated academic achievement in the natural sciences. Along with the SURF program, she was a Weill Cornell Medicine Brain and Mind Research Institute summer scholar that conducted research in the Orr lab, was a winner of the merit-based Wehman Scholarship for high-performing Biology and Biomedical Sciences majors, and was inducted into Chi Omega Lambda honor society of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

She is also heavily involved in MMC clubs and organizations such as student government, the Science Society, the Neuroscience Club, and the Sustainability Club.

About the SURF Program

The goal of the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program is to spark and sustain interest in systems and computational neuroscience among undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds underrepresented in neuroscience research. SCGB is launching this program with the recognition that diversity improves scientific innovation and collaboration. SURF provides funds for undergraduate research assistants to work in SCGB-funded laboratories during the academic year under the mentorship of postdoctoral fellows or Ph.D. students to provide personalized guidance to undergraduates.

Congratulations Shadé!