Current Scholars

Mechanisms of sex specific neuroinflammation in a murine model of Alzheimer's disease

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Sarah Watson ('26) is a Biology and French Studies double major from Sudbury, Massachusetts. She has been involved in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research since high school and is fascinated by the dynamic role played by immune cells in the brain called microglia during the course of AD progression. As a first year Women in Science Project intern, she conducted research with Geisel Assistant Professor of Neurology, Dr. Arti Gaur demonstrating how both peripheral inflammation and accumulation of pathogenic proteins differs in male and female mouse models of AD. Her Hanlon project, also advised by Dr. Gaur, utilizes mouse models of AD and publicly available human AD data sets to identify the potential age-, sex-, and brain region-specific mediatory role of microglia in AD. She has been awarded a Goldwater Scholarship and a Presidential Scholarship for her work and intends to pursue a research career developing AD immunotherapies. She is also passionate about the intersection between science and the humanities, and her French Studies major plan nuances her research in the sex specificity of AD by exploring historical constructions of gender and sexuality in Francophone literature. Outside of research and academics, she also enjoys interfaith engagement, trail running, and writing.

Faculty mentor: Arti Gaur, MED

Fatima-Kauthar L. Artan

Fatima Artan (she/they) has traveled across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Dubai and logged hundreds of hours serving communities through clinics – and published an article in a scientific journal on the disproportionate rates of breast cancer in African American women. Fatima is interested in Neuroscience and Linguistics and has a passion for studying East African languages.

Angel A. Avila 

Angel Avila (he/him) is a Thrive Scholar who learned jiu-jitsu and excelled in STEM in high school. His interests are in Engineering, Physics, and Biology.

Mark D. Ghiu

Mark Ghiu (he/him) is a Dartmouth Book Award winner who has pursued research opportunities in Math and Physics throughout high school, including on Quantum loop gravity.

Evan Khym

Evan Khym (he/him) comes from Groton School, where he headed the sustainability team and founded a social justice organization. He has co-authored research on socioeconomic mapping layers and climate considerations in underprivileged countries. Evan's academic interests are in Economics and Environmental Studies.

Lamine J. Sao

Lamine Sao (he/him) comes from The American School in London, where he earned security clearance at the US Embassy for his research. He is a jazz musician and runner and is excited to pursue Engineering at Dartmouth.

Summer Williams (she/her)

Summer Williams is an outdoors leader and political advocate for children with autoimmune challenges – which led her to testify before the California State Senate. She is eager to take advantage of opportunities to research at Geisel and has wide-ranging academic interests in Cognitive Science, Economics, Literature, and Philosophy.