Applications being accepted for travel awards for conferences or professional development workshop travel or other professional creative activities for undergraduates. Awards are one time only, up to $500.

We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated undergraduate students who are interested in immunology and want to investigate intestinal mucosa in two disease models, namely graft-versus-host disease and inflammatory bowel disease.

Our projects are captured by the question “How do the different kinds of cells work together in an epithelium to orchestrate ion transport?”. Duties include making solutions, help in preparing experiments, and mouse genotyping.

Shahi lab studies how obesity influences the immune system, gut microbiota, and brain health, with a special focus on multiple sclerosis (MS). He investigates: How obesity-driven changes in gut bacteria increase hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) production, altering immune cell activity and worsening inflammation. How these mechanisms disrupt gut–brain communication and contribute to MS severity. Translating these findings into new microbiome- and metabolism-targeted therapies for MS.

This is a study analyzing the epigenetics of perioperative delirium in patients scheduled for surgery at UIHC. At the same time, we are also working on the development of a real-time EEG monitoring device for perioperative delirium. The individual hired for this position will be responsible for recruiting study participants, administering brief delirium assessments pre- and postoperatively, collecting EEG data using a portable EEG device, and transporting and storing blood samples. In addition, they will assist with organizing and managing various types of data.

We are looking for motivated students with a strong interest in research as a career, and eager to gain skills in molecular biology, fungal genetics and bioinformatic data analysis. Research projects in the lab span a wide range of topics but are mostly focused on understanding the evolution of stress response regulation in a group of yeast species. This group includes several opportunistic pathogens that based on our preliminary data have rewired their stress response networks.

The Tung Lab is focused on the development of novel genomic technologies in the diagnosis of rare cancers and blood disorders. We study the roles of both somatic and germline genetic variants in various cancer predisposition syndromes, with a specific interest in hereditary hematological malignancies and inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. We are also interested in the development of novel diagnostic tools in pediatric cancers. Click here to learn about ongoing projects and how to get involved.

Our research seeks to understand how lipotoxic lipid metabolites ceramides impair nutrient sensing and leads to the development of metabolic diseases. The students will have the opportunity to acquire multiple skills in bioinformatics, molecular, biochemical, and cellular assays as well as mouse handling (if comfortable) and be co-authors on scientific manuscripts.

Students are expected to code/run deep learning algorithms to solve specific problems in biomedical imaging.