The Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship is awarded to students to recognize their distinguished academic achievements and to provide protected time for research. Mallory is a Ph.D. candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience working in the laboratory of Dr. Marco Hefti. Her research uses a combination of human tissue and cell culture approaches to answer questions about how amyloid-beta contributes to tau aggregation during the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. Amyloid-beta and tau are both hallmarks of Alzheimer disease; amyloid-beta is thought to trigger tau misfolding and aggregation leading to cell death and eventual brain neurodegeneration. However, it is not clear how amyloid-beta may contribute to tau aggregation. As Mallory continues her PhD research, she will work to determine amyloid-beta’s role in tau accumulation by characterizing how the protein affects tau clearance processes, which will enable the development of targeted therapeutics to slow or inhibit the progression of Alzheimer disease.

The fellowship provides a $10,500 stipend, tuition scholarship for up to two credits, 50% of mandatory fees, and a contribution towards health and dental insurance.