The UCLA-CDU Dana Center fellowship program is designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders at the intersection of neuroscience and society.
The Center builds bi-directional bridges in neuroscience research between fundamental and clinical neuroscience, neuroscience adjacent academic disciplines, and local communities. We do this by engaging with individuals with different lived-experiences and knowledge, including but not limited to community organizations and residents of South LA, neuroscientists, and people with expertise in social science, education, policy, and the humanities.
Fellows in our program are prepared to ask critical questions at the intersection of neuroscience and society and co-create projects that start from and are responsive to the interests of community organizations in South LA. To this end, individuals from a wide range of disciplines and community members are encouraged to apply. Interested individuals should join our mailing list to get updates on our 2025 RFA posting.
Fellowship Components
Research
- Fellows will either join an existing Center seed grant project or develop an independent research project aligned with the Center’s mission.
- Each fellow will be assigned a mentor
- applicants may name a preferred mentor (e.g., a seed grant PI) in their application.
- Fellows must produce a measurable deliverable such as a white paper, journal article, public-facing media project, poster presentation, workshop, curriculum, or teaching material.
Seminar Series
- Attend weekly seminars covering topics such as participatory research, neuroethics, science communication, and career development.
- Some sessions may be led by fellows as skill-shares or replaced by special Center events
Participation in the CDU Pipeline Program
- Design materials and otherwise support the CDU Pipeline Program, which provides educational pathways in science, medicine, and health for Pre-K to 12th-grade students in South Los Angeles.
- Help expand opportunities for students to engage with a novel neuroscience curriculum
Community Events and Community Programing
When appropriate, fellows may also engage in other activities, including:
- Human Centered Design Workshops, where center priorities are identified
- Idea Salon Sessions, featuring guest speakers and collaborative discussions
- Events, such as town halls or people’s assemblies, with south LA partners
Who are Dana Center Fellows?
The Dana Center Fellowship Program has worked with a broad range of qualified individuals, including but not limited to:
- Undergraduate, Masters, PhD, or post-doctoral trainees in neuroscience, social science, public health, public policy, or humanities disciplines
- Medical students interested in neuroscience and society, especially during the discovery year at UCLA and pursing research requirements at CDU
- Community leaders with an understanding of the needs of their communities and a passion for bridging the gap between neuroscience and society.
Our 2025-2026 Fellowship began on October 1, 2025. These are the nine researchers who are working with us this year.
Postdoctoral Fellows:
- Akila Kadambi
- Lilyana Levy
Undergraduate, Graduate and Community Fellows:
- Amani Carson
- Nicole Floum
- Phelan Glenn
- Emma Landskroner
- Erin Morrow
- Eliana Oduro
- Denese Paredes
2025 Summer Fellowships
In 2025 we expanded our summer fellowships programming to both of our campuses. This year, working on special research projects were Erin Morrow and Kayla Lim at UCLA and John Horton and Torrence Brannon Reese at CDU.
Our 2024-2025 Academic Year Fellowship
Building on the successes and lessons from our three-month program, the Center launched its inaugural academic year fellowship on October 1, 2024. We were thrilled to have worked with the following twelve researchers from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds.
2024 Summer Fellowship
In 2024, the first year of our five-year grant, we piloted our intended fellowship program with a three-month session. These were the seven fellows who joined us on this journey.
2022 Demonstration Grant Fellows
Between 2022-2023 we gained the opportunity to demonstrate the validity of the mission we wanted to pursue. These fellows were the inaugural scholar researchers who worked with us and ultimately were a factor in our receiving our five-year grant.
