Simons Foundation Announces 2024 Class of Neuroscience Undergraduate Research Fellows

The Simons Foundation is pleased to announce the newest recipients of its Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN). The 75 talented undergraduates will gain hands-on research experience and contribute to neuroscience research.

The SURFiN program, named in memory of neuroscientist Krishna Shenoy, aims to spark and sustain interest in neuroscience among undergraduate students whose backgrounds and experiences are underrepresented in science.

This year’s class comprises 56 new fellows and 19 returning fellows continuing their fellowships for a second year. The fellows will work in neuroscience laboratories supported by the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) and the Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB), typically under the mentorship of early career scientists including graduate students and postdoctoral researchers during the 2024–2025 academic year.

Through the SURFiN program, the Simons Foundation and its scientific community work together to support excellence in science, expand access to research experience, support early-career scientists and create a more inclusive research training environment.

In addition to financial support, the SURFiN program engages fellows and mentors through virtual and in-person professional development and community-building activities, including a coding boot camp, mentor training sessions, community meetings and an end-of-year undergraduate research symposium in New York City.

SCGB Fellows

Valerie Calligy
Stevens Institute of Technology

Natalia Cifuentes Macias
Montclair State University

Arjun Dibya
City College of New York

Zehra Düzgün
University of Vienna

Fidelie Futi
North Park University

Mike House
Montclair State University

Kamran Hussain

University of California, Santa Cruz

Srita Kothuri

Santa Clara University

Yao Li

University of California, Berkeley

Bin Liang

University of Vienna

Kaiyuan Liu

University of Washington

Pascha Matveev

University of Washington

Sara Merhi

Boston University

Anand Mysorekar

University of California, San Diego

Aniaba N’Guessan

Morehouse College

Aavani Raj

University of California, San Diego

Catherine Rasgaitis

University of Washington

Jordan Scott

Santa Clara University

Kevin Shimizu

Santa Clara University

Ashley Sosa Rodriguez

University of San Francisco

Emily Sperry

University of Washington

Holden Tanner

University of Denver

Kaitlyn Tung

Georgia Institute of Technology

Lydia Vanderiet

Loyola University Chicago

Jashui Zárate Torres

Dominican University

Zihao Zhai

University of Vienna

SCPAB Fellows

Danielle Campbell

Tufts University

Faith Cerbo

Boston University

Gwynn Chio

University of Michigan

Alannah Edwards

Rutgers University

Maame Forson

Harvard University

Megan Joel

Harvard University

Hanna Masri

University of California, Los Angeles

Alexa Pollock

Stanford University

Mirian Rodriguez

Stevens Institute of Technology

Alex Yeghikian

University of California, Los Angeles

Jessica Zhuo

Harvard University

SFARI Fellows

Araf Ahmed

Baruch College

Kristina Aksovski

Michigan State University

Naya Alsouss

John Carroll University

Prince Amoako

Ohio State University

Julie Bernard

University of Science and Technology of Bordeaux

Caroline Bishop

Washington University in St. Louis

Amaya Chikuni

Brigham Young University

Katelyn Chiurri

Stevens Institute of Technology

Rachel Disher

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Sophia Flatt

University of Utah

Benjamin Fletcher

University of Texas at San Antonio

Qianhui Hong

California Institute of Technology

Susan Huang

Georgetown University

Lianet Jimenez

University of Miami

Archer Li

Washington University in St. Louis

Lily Meyer

Webster University

Jesus Morales Santos

Columbia University

Tatiana Moustafa

Université de Bordeaux

Nila Murugan

University of Massachusetts Boston

Vy Nguyen

University of Utah

Florence Njoroge

Trinity Washington University

Rachel Nokku

Georgetown University

Morgan Opdahl

University of Washington

Anselmo Rivera

Johns Hopkins University

Gwen Roter

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Gloria Shen

University of Washington

Alishba Silat

University of Texas at Dallas

Ilana Simmons

University of Miami

Senghong Sing

University of Houston

Elle Speer

University of Iowa

Guoria Sun

University of Toronto

Toni Claire Tacorda

University of Houston

Grace Tang

Carnegie Mellon University

Simone Thom

University of Miami

Junyi Wang

Georgetown University

Ashleigh Waterman

Duke University

Baihe (Lily) Zhang

University of Pittsburgh

Alexandra Zuniga

University of Texas at San Antonio