Beckman Institute at Illinois

Caterina Gratton, a professor of psychology at #ILLINOIS, has joined the Beckman Institute. 🔶🤝🔷 Gratton studies the organization and function of human brain networks and how they contribute to goal-directed cognition. She is interested in how these systems vary across people and the lifespan, and uses methods like functional magnetic resonance imaging, or #fMRI, and patient recordings. "I’m thrilled to be joining the Beckman community," she said. "It is the perfect place for the #interdisciplinary research we do in my lab, and I am excited about the opportunity to build interactions with other folks in neuroscience, psychology, statistics and bioengineering." Learn more about Gratton: bit.ly/4efK1rk

Industrial and agricultural revolutions have profoundly transformed the world. The unintended consequence of these revolutions is that greenhouse gas emissions are changing Earth’s climate. Join Steven Chu, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, for his lecture, "The challenges in getting to net-zero GHG emissions." 📍 Beckman Institute Auditorium 🗓️ 3 p.m. Sept. 17 More information: https://lnkd.in/gM-DMfkb Chu is professor of physics, molecular and cellular physiology, and energy science and engineering at Stanford University. He received the 1997 Nobel Prize in physics.

The Beckman Institute is #hiring for two positions: Research scientist Senior research programmer Applications for both positions must be received by 6 p.m. CST on Sept. 19. Learn more and apply at beckman.illinois.edu/jobs 🔶🤝🔷

Beckman funded two #interdisciplinary research projects in 2024 as part of its research seed grant program. 🌱 One seeded project will investigate the genetic basis of altered behavior and brain function related to autism spectrum disorder. The other project aims to explore how collagen dysfunction affects tissue structure and function. Learn more about the researchers and their projects at bit.ly/3AFP9q6

Researchers at #ILLINOIS are combining forces to tackle the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the United States: mental health. Karen Tabb Dina, one of the nation’s top researchers in perinatal mental health studies, is co-leading an effort to change that statistic with research collaborator David Huang, who specializes in instructional system design and implementation. The research effort is housed at the Beckman Institute and is part of a multi-university program called Pathways to Perinatal Mental Health Equity. Learn more: go.illinois.edu/perinatal

Announcing: the seven winning images from Beckman's 2024 Research Image Contest. 🔬 🖼️ Winners used smartphones, microscopes and their creative perspectives to transform research projects into pearl necklaces, outer-space expeditions, deadly wildlife encounters and more. Read about the winners and their research images: bit.ly/3SWQpeB The winners: 👏 Diana P. (Undergraduate student category) Falon Kalutantirige (Graduate student category) Moeen Meigooni (Graduate student category) T. Josek (Postdoc and staff category) Xiaolin Liu (Postdoc and staff category) Hongqiang Ma (Faculty category) Dan Miller (Faculty category)

What if surgeries fixed problems flawlessly, the first time? Beckman's Dr. Stephen Boppart will lead an interdisciplinary team from #ILLINOIS, Mayo Clinic, Carle Health and University of Illinois Research Park startup Eleuthra Photonics Inc. on a project to improve surgical outcomes for cancer tumor removal. Funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the project combines optical imaging technologies with #AI screening tools to ensure that tumor tissue and cells are completely removed during surgery. 🗨 "This is exactly why we have such collaborative and partnering efforts in place … to respond when there is a call and need," said Boppart. 📰 Read more: bit.ly/4drHha2

Did you know Beckman has an Instagram? Follow us for stunning research images and all the latest updates @BeckmanIllinois. 🔶 🔹

Meet Aravind “Babs” Baby, this month’s featured student researcher. 👋 Babs demonstrates what it means to have a passion for scientific thinking. Since childhood, he has been fascinated with the periodic table and other scientific topics. He now combines his interests in both materials and chemistry. His research focuses on refurbishing failed lead-acid batteries. Babs hopes that this research will reduce the harmful environmental impacts of battery recycling. ♻️ 🔋 Read more about Babs and his research ➡ bit.ly/3yrNbc0

*Edited Beckman is #hiring for three positions: Research scientist, apply by Aug. 8 Beckman Café chef, apply by Sept. 9 Tissue Engineering Lab manager, apply by Aug 26 🔸🤝🔹 Join our team! Learn more and apply at beckman.illinois.edu/jobs