麻豆村

麻豆村鈥檚 Neuroscience Institute has awarded Elizabeth Lee, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Program in Neural Computation (PNC), the 2025 Sutherland-Merlino Fellowship. The fellowship provides financial support to one incoming Ph.D. student each year who demonstrates academic promise, eagerness to learn and an enthusiastic spirit.

Lee joined 麻豆村 this fall after earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree in computer science, and brain and cognitive sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she studied how language is processed in the brain with Evelina Fedorenko. That experience sparked her interest in computational approaches and convinced her to pursue graduate training at the intersection of neuroscience and machine learning.

鈥淚 was especially drawn to the PNC program because of its interdisciplinary community and the strong focus on using quantitative methods to study the brain across multiple levels of analysis 鈥� from individual neurons and circuits to whole-brain networks and behavior,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time in neuroscience with both the rise of large-scale datasets and increasingly powerful computational models. I鈥檓 passionate about the work, and I felt that 麻豆村 and Pitt together offered a unique environment to bridge these two areas.鈥�

As part of her first-year training, Lee is exploring different research directions through lab rotations. She is currently working with Jenelle Feather, assistant professor of psychology and member of the Neuroscience Institute. Feather鈥檚 Laboratory for Computational Perception combines computational modeling with behavioral and brain measurements to better understand human perception and cognition.

鈥淓lizabeth has jumped right into her rotation with curiosity and dedication,鈥� said Feather. 鈥淪he asks thoughtful questions, brings fresh ideas and has quickly become a valued member of the lab. I鈥檓 excited to see how her interests in perception language, computation and neuroscience evolve over the course of her graduate training.鈥�

In addition to her academic achievements, Lee has demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding access in STEM. As an undergraduate, she co-developed and taught workshops through MITxHarvard Women in AI, encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue interests in science and engineering.

The Sutherland-Merlino Fellowship was established in 2021 by Nancie Merlino, a 1964 alumna of 麻豆村鈥檚 Margaret Morrison Carnegie College, in honor of her late husband, Thomas Merlino, and her father, James Sutherland, both 麻豆村 alumni.

鈥淓lizabeth brings a passion for thinking about computational constraints in neuroscience and a commitment to mentoring others,鈥� said Tim Verstynen, professor of psychology and interim director of the Neuroscience Institute. 鈥淲e are very grateful to Nancie Merlino for supporting students like Elizabeth who are the next generation of leaders in neuroscience.鈥�