Adolescence is a critical period of neurodevelopment characterized by high levels of behavioral and cellular plasticity which are modulated in part by the brain’s immune system. Adolescence is also when alcohol use is initiated in humans, and our lab has found that binge levels of alcohol exposure during adolescence alters neurodevelopment by upregulating neuroimmune signaling and producing a chronic pro-inflammatory state in the adult brain. These effects are most notable in the hippocampus, a brain region noted for its critical role in learning and memory. We have found that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure impairs performance in learning and memory-related tasks in rodents, and that these cognitive-behavioral deficits are associated a loss of a unique population of neurons in adulthood – newborn hippocampal neurons. Newborn hippocampal neurons are highly plastic and are increasingly understood to be a cornerstone of cognitive flexibility in learning tasks; loss of these newborn neurons in adulthood is devastating to hippocampal function, and in fact is a hallmark feature of most neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The goal of the current study is to fate-map these neurons born during adolescence and assess the impact of adolescent binge alcohol exposure on their structural and functional maturation, providing novel insights into the persistent role of adolescent alcohol exposure on adult brain pathology.

Student Project: Characterize how adolescent alcohol exposure impacts the morphology of hippocampal microglia and their contact with newborn neuron processes. Microglia are innate immune regulators in the central nervous system, and they facilitate the sculpting of neural networks by phagocytosing synapses. Students will learn how to assess microglia morphology using Sholl analysis with Imaris software. This project will test the hypothesis that adolescent alcohol exposure increases microglial ramification in the hippocampus. This project will further test whether alcohol’s impact on microglial structure is differentially impacted by their proximity to newborn neurons.

Expectations: We are looking for a long-term commitment as these laboratory techniques are time-intensive in training, and we fully expect the students to progress towards independence. Student researchers are valuable team members and will learn a variety of laboratory skills including the appropriate use of transgenic mouse models, experimental design, immunohistochemistry, neuroanatomy, data analysis, and interpretation. All students will also be trained in animal handling and involved in multiple aspects of ongoing experimental procedures.

Time commitment: Students are expected to schedule 10+ hours per week (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.) in the laboratory. This must be divided across two consistent 5-hour blocks of time each week. Pending technical progress throughout the year and per discussions between both the mentee/mentor, this position would transition to a paid full-time position over the summer. Immersive summer work provides an unparalleled introduction to the research experience. There are also opportunities to build this into research credit during future semesters. Your results will directly contribute to our understanding of the effects of and potential therapeutic targets for alcohol exposure across development.

To be eligible for this opportunity, you MUST have taken an introductory neuroscience course.

Interested? Contact Dr. Victoria Macht (vmacht@email.unc.edu). Include a brief statement on your career goals and why this position interests you. Please also include your transcript with relevant coursework highlighted. Lastly, please also note the rigorous time commitments for this position, and include a statement on your availability.

The Motion Science Institute is currently recruiting healthy women between the ages of 18-30 to participate in a research study examining performance fatigability in women. Participants must have a BMI of ≥ 30 kg/m2 and not currently be on hormonal contraception.

Participants will receive free body composition analysis and $50 for taking part in this study.

If you are interested, please visit our website or contact Amber Schmitz by email at amberns@unc.edu.

I am currently seeking highly motivated undergraduates to collaborate with me on research projects focused on the development of reliable and responsible foundation models. Our work will encompass a wide range of topics, including the fundamental research of Language Models (LLMs) and Vision Language Models (VLMs), as well as the application of these foundation models in the fields of Medicine and Geoscience. Some of the specific research areas include:

1. Advancing the Reliability and Ethical Responsiveness of Foundation Models while Aligning with Human Preferences
– Addressing Distribution Shifts and Forgetting
– Tackling Model Bias, Fairness, and Toxicity
– Exploring Uncertainty Estimation, Model Calibration, and Hallucination

2. Foundation Models for Science and Social Good
– Leveraging Foundation Models in Medical AI (such as drug discovery, genomics, and healthcare)
– Harnessing Foundation Models in GeoAI (for applications like smart cities and ecology)

Prerequisites for involvement in these projects include a strong foundation in machine learning and deep learning techniques. The expected time commitment for participating students is a minimum of 15 hours per week.

If you are enthusiastic about delving into cutting-edge research and are passionate about advancing the responsible and reliable use of foundation models, I encourage you to get in touch. This is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects at the forefront of AI research.

For inquiries or to express your interest, please fill out the application form [https://forms.gle/KbZFVnMt8qtP74eK9] and send me an email. Let’s embark on this exciting journey of discovery together.

We (John Gallemore and Ed Maydew) are professors at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. We are looking for undergraduate research assistants to help with data analysis related to ongoing research.

As a research assistant, your responsibilities will include:
– Weekly or biweekly meetings with the faculty, either in person or via Zoom
– Conducting data analysis using Stata
– Outputting results to various formats (e.g., Word or Excel)
– Collecting, cleaning, and merging data (either with Stata, SAS, or Python)

Proficiency in coding with Stata is required. Proficiency in coding with Python or SAS is preferred but not required.

The ideal candidate will also pay close attention to details, follow a schedule, and provide deliverables on time.

The position is open now and will likely run through the fall of 2023, with the possibility of extending it if both parties desire to do so.

To apply, please complete the application available at this link.

If you have any questions, please email John Gallemore.

I’m a PhD student in the sociology department, and I’m currently seeking undergraduate research assistants to support me in the data collection process for my dissertation project. This project lies at the intersection of social science and computational methods. It aims to examine the cross-country diffusion of public interests in feminism by analyzing Google Trends data from nearly 200 countries.

As a research assistant, your responsibilities will include:
– Attending weekly or biweekly meetings with the research supervisor, either in person or via Zoom
– Collecting Google Trends data related to searches on feminism for selected countries
– Translating non-English terms or queries into English
– Writing R codes and/or replicating existing scripts
– Cleaning and wrangling data
– Producing descriptive statistics and data visualizations

Proficiency in coding with R and basic knowledge of statistical analysis are required. Additionally, I’m looking for research assistants who possess an open mindset, are eager to learn, pay close attention to detail, can stick to a schedule, and follow through on deliverables. The research assistantship will begin in Summer 2023 (as soon as can be arranged) and will continue into the coming academic year. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at yunlin@live.unc.edu.

Research opportunities for self-motivated undergraduate students are available in the Brain Research through Analysis and Informatics of Neuroimaging (BRAIN) Lab in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC). Our lab mainly focuses on the development of innovative computational methods and tools based on artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques for processing and analyzing multimodal neuroimaging data for studying brain structure, function, and connectivity during development, aging and disorders in humans and non-human primates. Two research directions are available. The first one is on the development of machine/deep learning methods for analyzing brain MR images. Good command of programming tools e.g., Python, Linux, and scripting are necessary to carry out the research work. The second direction is on applying our developed computational tools to study brain structural, functional and connectivity development during perinatal stages in both normal and at-risk subjects. Students will be expected to dedicate a minimum of 8-10 hours/week to the research project. We strongly encourage applications from diverse backgrounds.

The intern will work remotely on a couple of projects to support the Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy updating web pages. If the collaboration on websites updates is successful, there will be other opportunities for creating graphics for center events and announcements for both internal and external advertisement. Projects may include but not be limited to Center’s websites, brochures, marketing and promotional materials, email communications, flyers, video, and educational materials.
The intern is expected to maintain graphic and brand standards and having a good working knowledge of layout principles and design concepts. Must have knowledge of mark up and assembly of final layouts for offset and digital printing. Candidate must be well versed in both digital and print production. Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, & WordPress.Ability to manage multiple projects at once, while accurately setting and meeting deadlines. Please email Jubina at jbregu@unc.edu if you are interested.

The Physical Mathematics Lab (PML) (Intro Video) offers a wide range of interdisciplinary problems that find motivation in very diverse fields, including soft matter, fluid mechanics, biophysics and quantum mechanics. One of PML’s themes is the study of new Hydrodynamic Quantum Analogs (HQAs) with walking drops (Video). Millimetric liquid drops can walk across the surface of a vibrating fluid bath, self-propelled through a resonant interaction with their own guiding or ‘pilot’ wave fields. These walking drops exhibit features previously thought to be exclusive to the quantum realm. This system has attracted a great deal of attention as it constitutes the first known and directly observable pilot-wave system of the form proposed by de Broglie in 1926 as a rational, realist alternative to the Copenhagen Interpretation (Video & Read). At PML, we work to unveil and rationalize new HQAs, thus challenging the limits between the quantum & classical worlds. Our investigations blend experiments & mathematical modeling (theory & simulations), we can thus tailor your project according to your interests & skills. Prior research experience is not necessary, you just need to be eager to learn!