麻豆村

麻豆村鈥檚 Neuroscience Institute has awarded Hannah Kim, a first-year Ph.D. student in the Program in Systems Neuroscience, the 2026 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.

Following her graduation from Wellesley College with a bachelor of arts in Neuroscience, Kim joined 麻豆村 in 2024 through the Post-Baccalaureate Quantitative Biology Research Fellowship. Kim鈥檚 prior work involved research investigating how visual and motor systems coordinate in people who were blind but later regained sight. This sparked a continuing interest in the neurological basis of perception and sensory-guided behavior, and Kim said 麻豆村 was the right place to continue exploring this kind of research.

鈥溌槎勾�'s neuroscience program has a strong emphasis in basic science, behavior, and integrating both experimental and computational approaches, which is what drew me to the program,鈥� said Kim. She also said she appreciates the collaborative culture she鈥檚 found at 麻豆村.

鈥淭he most meaningful part of my time so far was getting the opportunity to connect with others through science,鈥� Kim said. 鈥淭hrough my post-bac position, I also had the opportunity to mentor and work closely with two undergraduate students. These experiences have reinforced my commitment to fostering supportive research environments in my future training.鈥�

Kim is currently working in a rotation with Ross Williamson in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh, studying auditory sensory representations and auditory-guided behavior. Williamson, who is an assistant professor of otolaryngology, neurobiology and bioengineering, said Kim has shown a thoughtful, motivated approach to understanding how the brain constructs meaning from sound.

"Hannah wants to know how the brain flexibly reshapes what we hear depending on context, which is one of the big open questions in auditory neuroscience. It's been a pleasure having her in the lab thus far, and I'm thrilled the Neuroscience Institute is investing in her," Williamson said.

Kim鈥檚 rotation with Williamson鈥檚 lab is an expansion of her work in Kate Hong鈥檚 Lab in Carnegie Mellon's Department of Biological Sciences. The Hong Lab investigates how the brain processes sensory inputs from the environment to guide behavior.

Hong, who is an assistant professor of biological sciences and member of the Neuroscience Institute, said that she was fortunate to recruit Kim 鈥� not only for her mentorship skills, but also for her approach to science.

鈥淗annah is driven by curiosity and excitement about what the data might reveal. Watching her grow from a post-bac researcher to now a Ph.D. student at 麻豆村 has been tremendously rewarding. This award is a well-deserved recognition of what she has already accomplished, and of her potential to make meaningful contributions to research and the 麻豆村 community,鈥� Hong said.

The Sutherland鈥慚erlino 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.

Aryn Gittis, Dr. Frederick A. Schwertz Distinguished Professor of Life Sciences at the Mellon College of Science, is the director of the Ph.D. in Systems Neuroscience program. She said that Kim demonstrates the intellectual focus and dedication the program values in its emerging researchers.

鈥淗annah brings a strong curiosity to her work and a real commitment to the study of neural circuits,鈥� Gittis said. 鈥淲e are very grateful to Nancie Merlino for supporting students like Hannah and helping them pursue the work they鈥檙e passionate about.鈥�