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Uniting Biomedical Research Across Northwestern
A new initiative between Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and McCormick School of Engineering aims to establish shared research "neighborhoods" on the Chicago campus, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration at the intersection of medicine and engineering.
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As members of the initiative's task force, Yogesh Goyal, PhD, assistant professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, and Gabriel Rocklin, PhD, assistant professor of Pharmacology, are actively involved in shaping these partnerships, which will enhance research in fields like synthetic immuno-engineering, syn[bio] electronics, cellular and organoid systems engineering, neural systems engineering, and engineering for precision cardiovascular medicine, ultimately driving healthcare innovation.
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Scientists from the Peek Lab have discovered that circadian rhythms play a role in how quickly damaged muscles heal, according to a study published in Science Advances.
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Members of the Department of Pharmacology recently led and participated in the Translation Machinery in Health and Disease Gordon Research Conference, a premier five-day international conference, which explored cutting-edge discoveries in protein synthesis, from fundamental molecular mechanisms to the impact of their dysregulation across a spectrum of diseases and areas.
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Neuroscience
Julia Cox, PhD, transitioned to assistant professor of Neuroscience on an undifferentiated track in December 2024, after previously serving as research assistant professor at Feinberg. Part of the Lucas Pinto Lab, her research explores the neural mechanisms underlying decision-making, particularly how the brain evaluates expected costs and benefits to guide behavior. Using imaging and neural perturbation techniques, her work examines how cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic loops contribute to decisions in tasks inspired by natural foraging behavior. She also investigates how stress and addiction reshape the neural circuitry involved in decision-making. Cox earned her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed her postdoctoral training at Princeton University.
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Yuta Senzai, MD, PhD, joined Feinberg in January 2025 as an assistant professor of Neuroscience. His lab investigates how the brain integrates actions into perception and memory, both in wake and sleep states. By focusing on the superior colliculus — a central hub for sensory-motor integration — his research explores how this structure interacts with thalamocortical networks to shape vision, action, navigation and memory formation. His team employs cutting-edge techniques in freely behaving and sleeping mice, including large-scale electrophysiological recordings, neuronal decoding, opto- and chemogenetics, eye movement monitoring, behavioral analysis and computational approaches. Senzai earned his PhD from New York University, his MD from Kyoto University, and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco.
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H. Steven (Hank) Seifert, PhD, the John Edward Porter Professor of Biomedical Research and professor of Microbiology-Immunology, received Northwestern’s 2025 Provost Award for Exemplary Faculty Service.
The annual award recognizes full-time faculty members who provide outstanding service to the university or significant contributions to their individual units and are exemplars of good academic citizenship.
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Paul DeCaen, PhD, associate professor of Pharmacology, was awarded the prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding early-career scientists and engineers.
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BSA’s Kayla Palmer Recognized for Excellence with NCURA’s Emerging Research Administration Award
Kayla Palmer, MS, senior research administrator, was awarded the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)'s Emerging Excellence in Research Administration Award. This award acknowledges emerging leaders who have made significant impact through their work and have the potential to continue influencing and shaping the future of research administration.
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Bayar Thimmapaya, PhD, professor emeritus, Microbiology-Immunology
December 26, 2024 | LAKE FOREST, IL
Bayar Thimmapaya, PhD, professor emeritus of Microbiology-Immunology, passed away peacefully at home on December 26, 2024. He was 81.
Born and raised in India, Dr. Thimmapaya obtained his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He pursued his lifelong devotion to science when he immigrated to the United States in 1975 to conduct his postdoctoral research at Yale University School of Medicine and the University of Connecticut Health Center.
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Dr. Thimmapaya then joined Northwestern University’s Department of Microbiology-Immunology as a faculty member where he earned tenure and retired as professor emeritus after 43 years of service in 2023. He studied oncogenic viruses and made important contributions to our understanding of the pathogenesis of human adenoviruses. Over the course of his career, Dr. Thimmapaya was responsible for training many graduate students who would go on to lead research programs around the world.
Intellectually curious by nature, Dr. Thimmapaya was an avid reader and took a keen interest in politics and current events.
He is survived by his wife Rama of 47 years, two daughters Asha (Amit) Mehrotra and Deepa (Pavan) Tripathi, and five grandchildren Devin, Anya, Dilan, Ria, and Rohan.
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Visitor Expense Reimbursements
To streamline the visiting expense reimbursement process, the BSA Finance team has updated the Expense Reimbursement Smartsheet Form. A new webpage has also been created to guide visitors through the request submission process. If you have any questions, please contact BSA Procurement.
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Northwestern’s Website for Federal Policy Updates
Northwestern is monitoring changes in federal policies and their potential impacts on our community. Please visit the Office of the Provost website for all updates.
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SciENcv
National Institutes of Health will be transitioning to SciENcv on May 25 for all biosketches and other support documentation. Northwestern’s Galter Library is holding online trainings to educate researchers about the process. Visit the Galter Library website for details on upcoming classes.
Additional information for the transition can be found on the Sponsored Research website.
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The Basic Science Administration Professional Affairs team has created a new online intake form for position-related actions, including hiring new lab employees, requesting salary adjustments, promotions, and reappointments, as well as lab staff departure notifications.
This online form will streamline processes, track all requests, and allow for back-up coverage on tasks across our team.
You can access the form directly using the button below or find it on the Resources page of the BSA website.
Access Position Management Form
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The BSA Resources page has moved to our SharePoint site and has been upgraded to enhance user experience by providing streamlined access to guides, information, resources, educational opportunities, and more. Users can filter resources by category and university role.
Browse Resources
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