Young BRAINS Summer Research Program

Continued recruitment and training of students in translational neuroscience is vital for the long-term sustainability of research in this area. To maintain the research pipeline at the graduate and post-doctoral levels, it is critical to instill interest and provide support early in the student’s educational journey. Immersive summer research programs offer a valuable opportunity to reach outstanding students and facilitate their path into translational neuroscience careers. We will establish Young BRAINS, a summer undergraduate research training program that provides research training to 15 students annually. The R25 will fund 8 of these students, with the additional 7 students supported by institutional or other funds. The program consists of a 10-week hands-on laboratory research training experience, tailored to provide a structured research training program in neurosciences with a focus on translational research. Prior laboratory experience is not required and students lacking strong translational research opportunities at their home campus will be prioritized for admission. Participating research mentors represent multiple departments, including Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Anesthesiology, and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. The BRAINS Research Laboratory (BRL) will serve as a central “hub” for this program at UTHealth. Our goal is to expand laboratory research opportunities for undergraduates as a means to increase exposure to translational neuroscience and provide relevant vital experience to ensure success of these individuals in securing ongoing training in this field (i.e. maintaining the “pipeline”). Project Number: 1R25NS147378-01 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) | Principal Investigator: Sean Marrelli (+1 co-PI) | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON, HOUSTON, TX | Award Amount: $134,684 | Activity Code: R25 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 CN-W (92)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11311115