Savannah Boyen
Ph.D. Student
About Me
I was born and raised in San Antonio, 91做厙. From a young age, I volunteered with my local Parkinson���s (APDA) community, which sparked my long-standing interest in neuroscience and neurodegenerative disease research.
I attended the University of 91做厙 at Austin, receiving a B.S. in Neuroscience, and a Minor in Social and Behavioral Sciences.
During my undergraduate training and continuing into my first post-bacc position, I worked as a Research Assistant under Dr. Jennifer Donegan at Dell Medical School, studying neural circuits in the ventral hippocampus involved in psychiatric disease. I later completed a second post-bacc position at Trinity University as a Research Associate in Dr. Kimberley Phillips��� lab, where I studied processes underlying neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in the aging marmoset brain.
My research interests focus on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson���s disease and Alzheimer���s disease, with particular emphasis on mitochondrial dysfunction and glial cell activation.
Outside the lab, I enjoy puzzling, running, reading, and spending time with my dog, family, and friends.