Alicia Pietramale

I am a graduate student in Robert Hill's lab in the Molecular and Cellular Biology PhD program. I received a B.S. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2021. I am studying mitochondrial dynamics in microglia in a transgenic mouse model. Microglia-mitochondria dynamics are unknown in the live intact brain. I am interested in how these dynamics change under different states of consciousness and in the aging brain. My project is implicated in conditions of blood brain barrier break down, autoimmunity, and age-related degeneration. Presently, I am an E.E. Just Liftoff Fellow, and a Resident Fellow for the South House Community. In these roles, I am passionate about providing spaces that foster inclusivity and diversity in social and intellectual engagements. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, wheel throwing, reading, and paddle boarding.