UT Arlington's Rising Research Star: Hannah Selvarathinam's Journey in Neurogenetics

As an undergraduate student in The University of Texas at Arlington’s Honors College, Hannah Selvarathinam was driven to pursue research. Early in her first year, she proactively reached out to biology Assistant Professor Piya Ghose for opportunities.

Impressed by Selvarathinam's initiative, Ghose invited her to join a project focused on the genetics of cell death in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. Selvarathinam's dedication culminated in her honors thesis, centered on brain health and behavior, resulting in a new peer-reviewed publication. Through diligent literature review and collaboration with Ghose, Selvarathinam established connections between her cell biology research and her interests in human health. Leveraging the genetic similarities between worms and humans, she optimized an experimental protocol to investigate the link between schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases through worm behavior. The study revealed that worms with mutations in neurodegeneration genes exhibited heightened startle responses, shedding light on potential parallels with human brain disorders. Selvarathinam's work underscores the importance of C. elegans as a model organism in advancing our understanding of brain diseases and pursuing therapeutic interventions.