Kashmiri scientist, Dr. Mubarak Hussain Syed has been recognized as one of the top 10 young neuroscientists to receive the esteemed 2024 McKnight Scholar Award.
This honor is bestowed upon early-career scientists who are making significant advancements in understanding brain complexities. Each recipient will be granted $75,000 annually for three years to further their pioneering research.
Dr. Syed, who serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico, is focusing his research on the mechanisms that determine how various neuron types develop from neural stem cells (NSCs) and how these developmental processes influence adult behaviors.
Utilizing a fruit fly model, his laboratory will investigate how Type II NSCs differentiate into specific neuron types within the central complex. Prior studies have indicated that the timing of a cell’s birth from a Type II NSC is correlated with its final neuron type: early descendants typically become olfactory navigation neurons, while later ones evolve into cells that regulate sleep.
Temporal expression of specific molecules, including RNA-binding proteins and steroid hormone-induced proteins, is believed to guide these developmental pathways.
Through both loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments targeting these proteins and pathways, Dr. Syed’s team aims to uncover the mechanisms by which these factors influence neuronal fate and subsequent behaviors. Additional experiments will explore the formation of circuits in higher-order brain regions, hypothesizing that different cell types within these circuits originate from various NSCs simultaneously.
Moreover, Dr. Syed is committed to promoting science education among underrepresented youth. Through his initiative, Pueblo Brain Science, he is dedicated to training and mentoring the next generation of diverse neuroscientists alongside his research endeavors.
Dr. Richard Mooney, the chair of the awards committee and George Barth Geller Professor of Neurobiology at Duke University School of Medicine, stated, “The MEFN is delighted to announce this year’s scholars, who are addressing cutting-edge questions in neuroscience, from the molecular fingerprints of aging to the biological basis of intergenerational memories and the principles enabling brain-wide neuronal networks for navigation, survival, hibernation, and sociality. The McKnight Foundation’s commitment to fundamental neuroscience research has allowed us to recognize an unprecedented number of exceptional early-career researchers at a broader range of institutions.”
The 2024 McKnight Scholar Awards saw 53 applicants, all representing the brightest young neuroscience faculty in the nation. The other nine awardees are also working on groundbreaking research themes that enhance our understanding of the human brain’s complexities.
Dr. Syed’s research interests span the development and function of neurons, glia (other cell types in the brain), and neural circuits. His lab is dedicated to studying the developmental programs that regulate neural diversity and function, from stem cells to fully formed neural circuits.
In 2021, Dr. Syed’s project, “Mechanisms regulating neural identity, connectivity, and function—From stem cells to circuits,” received $1.8 million in funding over five years. Last year, Dr. Syed was also named one of 125 scientists from the United States and Canada to receive the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship for 2023.