From the Lab to the Limelight - Blog version of our #TraineeTuesday Twitter series
This week's #TraineeTuesday star is Chris Camp (any pronouns), an INP student in the lab of Dustin Scheinost, PhD! Chris was recently awarded the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship, which will fund his research over the next three years.
At Yale, Chris investigates the statistics behind fMRI analysis to improve its psychiatric applications. “I hope to improve our understanding of how reliable fMRI data are, giving us a better idea of how we might identify neural markers of psychiatric illness like depression,” she said.
By understanding the fundamentals behind our methods, I can make discoveries with far-reaching implications for the process of scientific discovery.
Chris Camp
Chris’ dream of becoming a neuroscientist started as early as 7th grade. “I’ve always been fascinated with the way we think, so cognitive neuroscience was a natural fit,” they recalled. It wasn’t long before they dipped their toes into research. In high school, Chris started working at the Medical University of South Carolina under Jane Joseph, PhD, who taught them computational techniques for analyzing fMRI data. Chris continued this line of research at Duke University, where they studied neuroscience, and worked with Felipe De Brigard, PhD, at the intersection of memory, philosophy, and neuroscience.
After graduation, Chris joined the National Institute of Mental Health for a two-year postbac position. Tasked with applying computational approaches to study adolescent depression, he started studying the publications of Stephanie Noble, PhD, and Dr. Scheinost, who are now his postdoctoral mentor and PI, respectively.
In 2021, Chris left the NIMH and enrolled in Yale’s Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program.
I was drawn to Yale’s INP by the collaborative nature and the students’ emphasis on their work-life balance. It also seemed like a place where I could work on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia.
Chris Camp
Her favorite memory here has been working with her peer, Efrat Abramson, to plan INP's Neuroday — an annual conference where the Neuroscience community shares their work and welcomes the incoming first-years.
In the long term, Chris hopes to teach and lead a lab at a research institute. She believes teaching is crucial to inspiring the next generation of neuroscientists and fostering an inclusive academic atmosphere.
I’m so grateful to all of my mentors, teachers, and peers who helped me get to this point in my career. The NSF recognizes researchers with the potential to contribute to their field, and my potential stems directly from the constant support I’ve had in becoming a scientist.
Chris Camp