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Jessica Noche L

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of California Irvine (UCI)

Expertise

Neuroscience, Alzheimer's disease, neuroimaging, neuroinflammation, biostatistics, neuropsychology, psychology, molecular biology, learning and memory, aging, scientific writing, scientific communication, research proposals, grant applications

Bio

Hi! I'm Jess. After earning my bachelor’s degree in Psychology, I conducted research as a staff research program coordinator in a human neuroimaging laboratory at the University of California, Irvine. I was extremely fascinated by how our brains can give rise to our complex ability to learn and remember information throughout our lives. Now, I’m in my final year as a Ph.D candidate where I take all different kinds of data (MRI, biofluid samples, and cognitive/behavioral data) and apply computational and statistical approaches to uncover how our brains function and change over time in health and disease. Specifically, I investigate the factors that lead to memory deficits in aging and Alzheimer’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease that is the leading cause of dementia among older adults. I enjoy going on camping trips with my two dogs, playing tunes on my keyboard, and volunteering in community outreach activities that educate children and adults alike on the wonders of the brain.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Alzheimer's disease: what's on the horizon?

In this project, you will learn about the the key pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD), as well as the influence of lifestyle factors such as exercise, sleep, and nutrition, on AD risk. Next, you will dive into the fundamentals of advanced neuroimaging tools and analysis approaches for identifying and evaluating biomarkers of AD. Lastly, you will write a scientific review that surveys recent literature and key findings on various advancements in AD research including novel drug targets, therapeutic and preventative strategies, and the discovery of predictive AD biomarkers.

Coding skills

python, Matlab, bash

Languages I know

Conversational Tagalog

Teaching experience

I have served as a teaching assistant for three advanced undergraduate courses that cover a range of topics, including neurobiology, molecular biology, and neuroimaging. I have several years of experience organizing community outreach activities focused on neuroscience education for K-12 students. I have served as a science mentor for an immersive summer Brain Camp where I instructed middle and high school students in a wide variety of neuroscience topics, and mentored students in designing and carrying out their own experiments, analyzing their data, and presenting their findings.

Credentials

Work experience

University of California, Irvine (2014 - 2017)
Research Program Coordinator

Education

University of California Irvine (UCI)
BA Bachelor of Arts (2014)
Psychology
University of California Irvine (UCI)
MS Master of Science (2020)
Biological Sciences
University of California Irvine (UCI)
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Biological Sciences

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